Commissioner Gottlieb Comments on Nicotine Regulation
In May 2017, Scott Gottlieb, MD, was named as the newest U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/senate-obamacare-working-group-expands-gottlieb-md-named-fda-commissioner-bipartisan). He’s since shown a commitment to regulating tobacco and nicotine delivery systems (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/senate-republicans-unveil-replacement-healthcare-bill-single-payer-healthcare-system-would-have-high-price-tag)—such as e-cigarettes—especially when it comes to children. In one of his public forums (https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Speeches/ucm581314.htm), Gottlieb spoke about the FDA’s commitment to continued oversight and regulation of these products and their distribution, a stance that’s drawn support from the medical community.
Gottlieb noted the tremendous public health advancements from the FDA: from vaccines to seat belts and life-saving medical devices. It was through this lens, that he encouraged the need for increased public safety and health initiatives that focus on tobacco and smoking.
“We have a similar opportunity in front of us right now to take a historically important step toward protecting public health from the number-one cause of preventable disease and death in this country: tobacco use,” Gottlieb said.
This is a continued leadership role that the agency has taken over the past two decades, forming a committee to expand the FDA’s jurisdiction over tobacco and its use, marketing, and distribution. Moreover, the FDA has launched a new public awareness campaign, The Real Cost (https://www.fda.gov/tobaccoproducts/publichealtheducation/publiceducationcampaigns/therealcostcampaign/default.htm), to address teen cigarette use, including e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems.
Oncology nurses know the dangers and damage (https://voice.ons.org/stories/oncology-nurses-champion-tobacco-cessation-programs) that tobacco use has on patients. ONS will continue to champion smoking cessation tactics and work to educate lawmakers and federal agencies about the dangers of tobacco use (https://www.ons.org/advocacy-policy/positions/policy/tobacco).