In a rare admission of what the tobacco harm reduction community has called a “bureaucratic nightmare,” Robert Califf, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has asked for an independent review, including “an initial assessment of the processes and procedures, resourcing and organizational structure” for the Center for Tobacco Products, as well as food programs under FDA.
The review will be conducted by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a non-governmental organization created by Congress “to advance the mission of the FDA to modernize medical, veterinary, food, food ingredient, and cosmetic product development, accelerate innovation, and enhance product safety.”
While long overdue, it is a somewhat hopeful sign that officials at FDA can step away from rampant, alarmist public and political pressure; pressure that caused the agency to ignore science when sealing the fatal regulatory fate for hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette products.
Since at least 2018, the FDA has been under intense scrutiny over its handling of vapor products – products which the agency received regulatory authority over just two years prior, in 2016. Since then, Congressional hearings, lawmakers, and Bloomberg-funded campaigns have unfairly targeted the agency with a smear campaign to vilify the very notion of tobacco harm reduction.
Lindsey Stroud – Townhall – 2022-07-26
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