Levelling the Playing Field: the FDA's Regulation of Nicotine Dependence Products

Abstract

There is a great need for the increased development and use of nicotine dependence products (NDPs) in this country. A creative regulatory approach, such as the FDA brought to tobacco regulation, could do an enormous amount of good. In the field of NDPs, as in every area of drug regulation, a new regulatory approach will bring with it costs and benefits. As our knowledge advances, the FDA should not be slow to adopt the same aggressive yet flexible approach to NDPs that it has adopted towards tobacco. It should be a short-term goal for the FDA to ensure that “each decision to smoke should present an equal opportunity not to smoke and an equal opportunity to get help.â€