THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND THE PROPOSED REGULATION OF CIGARETTES

Abstract

Since the 1930s the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has taken broad Jurisdiction over eveiyday products in an attempt to ensure public health. Despite that mission, the FDA In particular and the Federal government In general has done little to regulate the tobacco Industry. Recently, however, the Commissioner of the FDA, Dr. David A. Kessler. raised the possibility of regulating the cigarette industry. But is the simple regulation of cigarettes permitted by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which grants the FDA jurisdiction over products? Given the unanimity of opinion on the hazards of cigarette smoking, the answer to this question is no, and yet the conclusion that cigarettes must be banned seems too radical to seriously imagine. As a result, the context in which the FDA has approached cigarette smoking should be analyzed.