Since 2009, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulated the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of cigarettes, smokeless, and roll-your-own tobacco. In 2016, the FDA issued a final rule that extended this authority to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and other tobacco products that previously were not regulated by the FDA. Significantly, this final rule also required for the first time that these products not be sold to children under the age of 18 and not be sold in vending machines, aligning with the WI CCC Plan 2015-2020 strategy to prevent youth access to tobacco products.
A recent survey of 1,000 registered voters found overwhelming support for the FDA’s regulation of these products:
- 84 percent of voters overall, and 83 percent of voters who smoke, support the original 2009 law that gave the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products.
- More than three-quarters of voters support the FDA’s regulation of e-cigarettes, including significant support for specific steps the FDA could take like requiring companies to disclose e-cigarette ingredients (favored by 93 percent) and restricting e-cigarette marketing aimed at children (favored by 92 percent).
- 76 percent of voters support prohibiting candy- and fruit- flavored tobacco products that can appeal to kids.
This final rule was published shortly before the release of the Surgeon General’s report and call to action related to e-cigarette use among U.S. youth and young adults. To learn more about tobacco product use among Wisconsin teens, check out the 2016 Youth Tobacco Survey.