On Smokefree Products, Cotton Praises FDA Enforcement Action, Urges Increased Authorization

In a new letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) highlighted the importance of not only increased enforcement but also additional authorization of smoke-free products. This approach is in line with the priorities of Regulate Smarter, and a welcome step from a leading lawmaker.

Cotton urged immediate action “to curb distribution of illicit Chinese e-cigarettes” while also “increas[ing] the number of regulated American products available in the U.S. market.”

After praising the Trump Administration’s enforcement efforts against illegal products, Cotton’s letter noted that, “FDA has authorized just 39 e-cigarette products, from only five companies, despite receiving over 26 million applications.”

One of the Senate’s leading China hawks, Cotton noted that, “only when adult consumers have legal, regulated, and satisfactory alternatives available in the American marketplace will the market demand for illicit Chinese products disappear.”

The letter, which was covered first by the Washington Reporter, is available here.

Cotton’s letter struck similar tones to one sent to FDA this summer from Regulate

Smarter in which Chairman Burr outlined five concrete and common-sense reforms to address the flood of illegal and unregulated tobacco and nicotine products into the U.S., effectively enforce the Tobacco Control Act and restore order to the marketplace.

Regulate Smarter’s letter was covered by Fox News Digital.