My colleagues at UCSF and Stanford and I have submitted this public comment to the FDA supporting a product standard limiting nicotine in tobacco products and opposing exceptions for heated tobacco products and waterpipe (PDF). The Comment Tracking Number in regulations.gov is mfj-vc5x-sbgb .FDA’s proposed tobacco product standard setting a maximum level of nicotine inContinue reading “FDA setting a maximum level of nicotine in tobacco products without exceptions for HTP and waterpipe will improve health”
Category Archives: FDA
UCSF launches new improved Industry Documents Library
Today the UCSF Industry Documents Library launched a complete redesign of the website that aligns with evolving institutional and user research needs and delivers a new and improved user experience. What’s new? Save the date – On Tuesday, September 9, 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT UCSF is hosting a live website open house and Q&AContinue reading “UCSF launches new improved Industry Documents Library”
Support CDC plan to reinstate NYTS by Aug 15 deadline to submit supportive public comments
In April 2025, the Trump Administration pulled the plug on the National Youth Tobacco Survey in the middle of collecting the 2025 sample, essentially blinding the federal government and the public from important detailed information on youth tobacco use. Now, they are proposing to reinstate it. If implemented properly, this is an important decision. ItContinue reading “Support CDC plan to reinstate NYTS by Aug 15 deadline to submit supportive public comments”
FDA ignores current science to give Juul a pass
Not surprisingly, on July 17, 2025, FDA authorized the sale of Juul tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes. I wish I could say that I am “not surprised” because during the 2024 campaign President Trump announced that he would “save vaping,” but, on reading FDA’s scientific justification (the Technical Product Lead report [TPL]), I found that theContinue reading “FDA ignores current science to give Juul a pass”
20 state attorneys general sue to block HHS cuts
Today (May 5, 2025) 20 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to reverse President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr’s devastating cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. The suit details the broad damage that the cuts are doing, with and emphasis on the states and, in many cases, the specificContinue reading “20 state attorneys general sue to block HHS cuts”
18 Senators write HHS leaders asking for details on cuts to tobacco programs and specific plans to meet legal obligations
On April 22, 2025, 18 Democratic senators wrote HHS Secretary Kennedy and the leaders of the FDA and CDC expressing concern about Trump Administration decisions to decapitate and cut the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and shut down the CDC Office on Smoking and Health, actions that will cost billions in health costs by nextContinue reading “18 Senators write HHS leaders asking for details on cuts to tobacco programs and specific plans to meet legal obligations”
Trump gives Big Tobacco a big gift: He killed the National Youth Tobacco Survey, blinding public, researchers, and policy makers to the effects of changing tobacco industry products and practices
The now-shuttered CDC Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) has conducted the National Youth Tobacco Survey since 1999. The survey provides important surveillance about how youth tobacco use is changing. After Congress created the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, it partnered with CDC to expand the scope and depth of the survey, including increasing detailsContinue reading “Trump gives Big Tobacco a big gift: He killed the National Youth Tobacco Survey, blinding public, researchers, and policy makers to the effects of changing tobacco industry products and practices”
Shuttering CDC and FDA tobacco offices will increase the deficit by billions of dollars (right away)
Trump shuttering the CDC Office on Smoking and Heath and decapitating the FDA Center for Tobacco Products will not only increase tobacco-caused disease but will also make the federal budget deficit worse (and cost American people and businesses a lot of money in avoidable medical costs). The only winners will be the big tobacco companiesContinue reading “Shuttering CDC and FDA tobacco offices will increase the deficit by billions of dollars (right away)”
Trump removes Brian King as Director and guts FDA Center for Tobacco Products
As part of its campaign to wreck the federal government, Brian King, head of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, has been put on administrative leave. He has been reportedly offered a job with a regional office of the Indian Health Service that includes Alaska. (According to the New York Times, “Some senior leaders basedContinue reading “Trump removes Brian King as Director and guts FDA Center for Tobacco Products”
Historical and political context for Philip Morris International’s continuing medical education courses on harm reduction: Implications for current product regulation
In mid-2024 Drs. Robert Jackler, Pam Ling and others learned that the for-profit medical company Medcape was offering a continuing medical education course on tobacco harm reduction sponsored by Philip Morris International that promoted the industry position that smokers could reduce risk by switching from cigarettes to “less risky” products, such as smokeless tobacco. MostContinue reading “Historical and political context for Philip Morris International’s continuing medical education courses on harm reduction: Implications for current product regulation”
Stanton Glantz blog 