FDA tobacco head to industry: ‘We have a long way to go’ on regulation

FDA tobacco chief to industry: ‘Long way to go’

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The head of the government’s tobacco regulator says the Food and Drug Administration’s new power to regulate tobacco is a promising tool to reduce the toll of disease and death caused by tobacco use.

Dr. Lawrence Deyton, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, spoke Monday at the Tobacco Merchants Association annual meeting in Williamsburg, Va. He says the agency has a long way to go in overseeing the industry.

The FDA’s authority granted last June is the main area of discussion at the two-day gathering of tobacco manufacturers, growers and retailers.

The FDA can ban certain products, limit nicotine and block certain labels. The law doesn’t let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco.