For years Big Tobacco has been running the table. Even in the face of MASSIVE scientific, political, and public sentiments against cigarettes... the industry has continued to survive. Phillip Morris...owns Kraft Foods. But cigarettes still make up a big part of their portfolio. Hell, Marlboros are estimated to kill 75,000 people a year. That one brand is responsible for killing more Americans each year than all the gun deaths and auto crash deaths combined.
It looks like life is going to change for these guys in a big way on Thursday. It's been about fifteen years since David Kessler went after big Tobacco. Now, congress is getting ready to vote on his proposal:authorize FDA to regulate tobacco as a drug.
This won't get much play in the press given everything else going on. But mark my words, regulating tobacco as a drug and cigarettes as a delivery device will have a huge impact on a range of diseases and chronic illness. That means we can lower the health care costs that have been passed on to consumers and the public.
I know a lot of people have a lot of complaints about the FDA. A lot of the criticisms are legitimate. However, a lot of the criticism was also designed to neuter the FDA. Notice the big problem FDA has when it comes to dealing with scoundrels like Merck? They don't have the authority to go in and levy fines, etc. They don't have subpoena powers. Congress has power that they won't use. So FDA gets stuck looking like the wimpy Keystone Kop. A Barney Fife of consumer safety. Notice, by the way, that is the same problem Geithner has when it comes to regulating the AIGs of the world. But that is going to change.
If this legislation passes, things are going to start changing at FDA. I think we are going to start seeing a revitalization of that agency. It's going to be crucial in the coming days after the healthcare funding wars are fought.
Big Tobacco is a lot weaker than it was 15 years ago when they helped destroy health care initiatives under Clinton and fended off Kessler's attack. But times have changed. I'm hopeful here.
UPDATE: Just to clarify, based on a couple of comments. I doubt FDA would try to ban smoking. More likely, they would classify nicotine as a Schedule II stimulant. That would make it legal and available... with a prescription. For those who want to quit, doctors would be able to prescribe other nicotine options to help smokers get the monkey off their back. For kids, it would mean they would have a hell of a time getting started. That is the key to breaking the back of this monster. Choke off their pipeline of "replacement" smokers.