Child advocacy group says FDA should carefully examine smokeless tobacco

By Staff Writer

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids recently released a statement that emphasized the important role the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has in ensuring responsible marketing of tobacco products.

The statement, which was issued by group president Matthew Myers, comes following Star Scientifics's plan to submit a new, moist-snuff tobacco product as a "modified risk" substance. Federal law gives the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and any health-related claims made about them.

Myers claims that as cigarette use among teenagers has decreased in recent years, the number of adolescents using smokeless tobacco products has significantly increased. He is concerned that many teens have the misconception, based on labels such as "modified risk," that smokeless tobacco does not cause harm.

"For decades, the tobacco industry used misleading marketing and false claims to convince smokers that some cigarettes were less harmful than others," said Myers. "Now the FDA can stop these deadly deceptions [about smokeless tobacco]."

Adolescents who use harmful substances such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco or snuff may benefit from wilderness therapy, which aims to provide help for troubled teens coping with substance abuse.