Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
E-Cigarette Battle Highlights Tobacco Industry's Extraordinary Clout In D.C.
The e-cigarette and cigar industries have enlisted high-profile lobbyists and influential congressional allies in an attempt to stop the Food and Drug Administration from retroactively examining their products for public health risks or banning them from the market. The campaign targets a broad new rule that extends F.D.A. jurisdiction to include cigars, e-cigarettes and pipe and hookah tobacco. (Lipton, 9/2)
Meanwhile, the American Heart Association is pressuring聽pharmacies聽over tobacco products聽鈥
The American Heart Association is pressuring pharmacies to follow the lead of CVS and stop selling tobacco. 鈥淭he public wants this absurd contradiction to come to an end,鈥 CEO Nancy Brown said. 鈥淚f you promote health, you should not be in the business of selling products that can lead to addiction and death,鈥 she added. This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study Thursday that shows 66 percent of Americans do not want pharmacies selling tobacco, including roughly half of the smokers surveyed. (Devaney, 9/1)
