FDA calls for review of tobacco products released since 2007

By Staff Writer

The National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that adolescents who experiment with tobacco products are more likely than nonsmokers to experience behavioral problems by grade 12.

Every day, more young kids light up their first cigarette. Some advocacy groups blame tobacco companies for marketing their cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products as harmless substances. In an effort to eliminate this misconception, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been granted regulatory authority over the tobacco industry.

On Wednesday, the agency announced that they will review certain tobacco products that were introduced or changed after February 15, 2007. The goal is to determine if newer substances pose different health concerns from those that are already on the market. The FDA said that these companies must prove that their products are "substantially equivalent" to items that were commercially available as of February 17, 2007.

Lawrence Deyton, the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said that all substances containing tobacco are unsafe. His agency is required by law to determine if recently developed products are more dangerous than items already on the market.

Problem teens who are addicted to cigarettes may benefit from boarding schools, which may help adolescents kick unhealthy habits.