Truth Not on FDA Agenda
A funny thing happened to the gargantuan Food and Drug Administration as it set out to begin regulating the tobacco and smoking industry under its new Obama mandate: it stumbled over its big toe.
Right out of the hat, the bully FDA thought it could ram through some stuff without facing consequences, or so it seemed. Remember, the truth will set you free.
The New York Times reported early this week that the FDA was put in its place by a federal judge.
Here is the story in case you missed it:
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 14, 2010
A federal judge says the Food and Drug Administration overstepped its authority in efforts to regulate electronic cigarettes. Regulators began halting shipments of electronic cigarettes last year. The F.D.A. said it found cancer-causing ingredients in the products, despite manufacturers’ claims that they are safer than tobacco cigarettes. The agency argued that electronic cigarettes, which use a battery-operated vaporizer to produce a nicotine mist, are a combination drug-device, and therefore subject to stricter safety standards than cigarettes. But Judge Richard Leon of Federal District Court agreed with manufacturers that electronic cigarettes are “the functional equivalent of traditional cigarettes.
Score one tiny victory for smokers and the manufacturers.
It appears the FDA will have to learn that it cannot go back to medieval days of prohibition, of anti-smoking leagues, slanted truths and quickie rulings in order to regulate fairly over tobacco and smokers.
Make no mistake, this is but a small win in the scheme of things. However, at least one federal judge is saying that the FDA has to apply some sort of scientific reasoning and plain common sense to its rulings.
UPDATE:
Update on last week’s ruling by a federal judge: Read below and then follow the link for new information on the FDA and its black ops way of dealing with the tobacco and smokers.
Judge Richard J. Leon of Federal District Court in Washington issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by two distributors of the so-called e-cigarettes, which are battery-powered tubes that heat liquid nicotine into an inhalable vapor and are meant to simulate the taste of tobacco.
More here