November 2016

This week, the ATS led a physician sign-on-letter to Congressional leadership opposing provisions in the House Agriculture-FDA Appropriations bill that would weaken the FDA's authority to regulate tobacco products.  The provision in question, known as the "grandfathering" provision, would exempt the recent generation of e-cigarettes and candy flavored cigars from the full scope of FDA's oversight authority.  The tobacco grandfathering provision is one of the many issues Congressional leadership is negotiating as they try to resolve fiscal years 2017 federal spending in the lame duck session.

The letter explains why the physician community strongly supports FDA's full authority to regulate all tobacco products and responds to many industry claims about the e-cigarettes.

The following physician organizations joined the ATS in the letter: American College of Preventive Medicine, American Medical Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, American Osteopathic Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Cardiology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American College of Chest Physicians, and the National Association for the Medical Direction of Respiratory Care.