Food, drugs, and cigarettes: the influence of politics on FDA regulations

This thesis will examine the evolution of historical attempts to regulate tobacco from the late nineteenth century to present day. The influences of politics and societal impact on FDA regulations of the tobacco industry have been the subject of considerable ongoing controversy. This challenge stems from the FDAs attempts to assert jurisdiction for regulating an industry that constitutes a significant portion of the American economy. Although the scope of the FDAs jurisdiction clearly covers food, drugs, cosmetics, devices and biological products, the agency has not historically been given the latitude to place cigarettes into an appropriate classification, greatly inhibiting any attempts towards implementing complete regulatory authority. Despite the recent tobacco acts enacted on behalf of the FDA and the current Obama administration, tobacco continues to be the single most preventable cause of death, disease and disability in the United States today.