FDA approves sale for two new cigarettes

December 18, 2019 29 Comments

with "new reduced nicotine" as the smokes have through premarket tobacco product application pathway the FDA set up to make sure that no eLiquids ever make it to FDA approval but combustible smokes get the fast pass green light. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday announced it has authorized the marketing of two new tobacco products manufactured by 22nd Century Group Inc. – Moonlight and Moonlight Menthol, which are just boring old kill yourself with every puff filtered cigarettes.  The gimmick?  They contain a reduced amount of nicotine compared to typical cigarettes.

That's not even the most laughable part, according to their own press release they had a "rigorous science-based review" of already known to be deadly smokes and the agency determined that authorizing these products for sale "is appropriate for the protection of the public health."

Isn't that just a rich kick in the pants? That's not even the most laughable part, as the agency also "determined that non-smokers, including youth, are also unlikely to start using the products, and those who experiment are less likely to become addicted than people who experiment with conventional cigarettes."

Wow. Just wow.  So what is it that makes eLiquids so much more dangerous?  Is it because they aren't as evidently damaging and deadly as smoking? Is it because it's actually easier to quit vaping than it is smoking?  Or is it because there's no eLiquid equivalent of a big tobacco company that lines the pockets of the federal regulators in charge of this crap?

To the FDA's credit they are approving the sale of these products but they are not endorsing them to be “FDA-approved,” which is the strangest conclusion one has to declare, because you'd assume FDA approved for sale means fit for public consumption.  However these new products share the same adverse health risks as conventional cigarettes, and the FDA keeps it's stance that there are no safe tobacco products. 

Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, had this to say about it; “Today’s authorization represents the first product to successfully demonstrate the potential for these types of tobacco products to help reduce nicotine dependence among addicted smokers. Still, we must remain vigilant to ensure that the products authorized today actually deliver on that promise for consumers. We’ll be closely monitoring how Moonlight and Moonlight Menthol are marketed and will take action as necessary if the company fails to comply with any applicable statutory or regulatory requirements or if there is a notable increase in the number of non-smokers, including youth, using these products.”

I guess that's a start?  It sounds backwards but if they can't handle the reality that vaping is much better for the public's health than smoking, maybe they have to take the slow dip into that pool of science by putting in their pinky toe with this cigarette with less nicotine first to test the waters.  Even just typing that, the mental gymnastics I had to do to retroactively justify their logic is exhausting. 

As for this new product itself, the lower nicotine claim is indeed factual, containing 0.2 to 0.7 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette.  Comparatively, the wide array of common smokes found today range between 0.4 all the way up to 7.4 milligrams of nicotine per cigarette. If only there was an alternative product already available where you can 100% control the level of nicotine you're consuming...  Nah that's just some science fictional nonsense idea. 

Moonlight and Moonlight Menthol meet the definition of a cigarette under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the company must adhere to existing restrictions for cigarettes under FDA regulations which prohibit television and radio advertising.

In addition the FDA is placing restrictions on how the products are marketed on websites and social media by including restrictions that prevent advertising from being targeted to youth.  Making it a real treat to see how they do end up marketing these products, as any vaping company worth their nic salt will be watching this like a hawk as it sets a clear and evident precedent.  

There you have it, probably the last vaping related issue the FDA will touch of the decade and they decided to just approve new cigarettes. What do you think about this announcement? Is the FDA clearly corrupt with their pockets lined from big tobacco companies?  Will vaping ever become obviously the clear path forward for all smokers in the eyes of the Fed?

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