Tobacco Regulation and Products

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In 2009, we won a hard-fought campaign that led to Congress passing a law granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah. Yet, it took the FDA seven years to begin their oversight of many of these products with much more work left to be done. 

Recent spikes in the use of e-cigarettes makes clear that more must be done to regulate tobacco products and the industry's deceptive marketing practices.  We are working to ensure the government fully leverages the regulatory power it now possesses to protect children and adults. 

Tobacco use costs our nation nearly $300 billion in health care and productivity losses each year.

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End the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars to save lives

Big Tobacco's playbook is the same as it's been for decades. They are addicting a new generation of kids to tobacco products with appealing flavors like mint, strawberry, chocolate and fruit punch. Send a message to your lawmaker now and ask them to use their influence and stand up to Big Tobacco!

Latest Updates

April 26, 2024

In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released proposed rules to eliminate menthol flavoring in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars. Almost two years later, the public health community is still waiting for the FDA to finalize these lifesaving rules. This inaction only benefits Big Tobacco, who continues

April 1, 2024
National

Today, the White House again failed to meet their own deadline to finalize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and eliminate all flavors in cigars despite an overwhelming amount of evidence demonstrating menthol flavoring is a serious public health risk.

March 22, 2024
National

In a major victory for public health, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has unanimously upheld graphic health warnings on cigarette packs and advertising required under a 2020 FDA rule .

December 13, 2023
Ohio

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) condemns the House for not standing up for the health of Ohioans and putting our children at greater risk of becoming Big Tobacco’s next customers. Instead of offering solutions to address the health of our residents, lawmakers have now limited what local governments can do to prevent people from starting to use tobacco and help people quit.

Tobacco Regulation and Products Resources

Tobacco use is one of the primary causes of cancer-related health disparities - disproportionately impacting people by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, mental health, income and education levels, and geographic location. Eliminating health disparities depends heavily on eliminating tobacco use. ACS CAN is pursuing evidence-based policies at the local, state, and federal levels that aim to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for all individuals.

Flavors are a marketing weapon the tobacco manufacturers use to target youth and young people to a lifetime of addiction. The use of any flavored tobacco product among youth is concerning because it exposes them to a lifetime of nicotine addiction, disease, and premature death.