I have plenty of comments that were submitted to the FDA that revolve around practicality, as opposed to an agenda to promote a specific product or to encourage behaviors as you would like.

First and foremost, this is a free country. The most important actions taken by PM and RJR were confirmed yesterday b y a Federal judge that allows manufacturers to advertise in color ( as opposed to black and white ) and allows companies to state FDA approved on their packaging. Both victories for free speech as protected by the first ammendment. Now if your goal for smokeless is that protection, then good for you.

Comments submitted by me entail the protection of business interests in the name of common sense, such as allowing product “banned” by the FDA to run out at retail instead of being banned on day number one. I have also encouraged these dimwits to consider their preposterous idea that tobacco merchandising will “go dark”, taking away the rights of manufacturers, merchants and consumers to see products that are legal in this country.

Finally, I have submitted comments requesting that they ignore people like you that come across as speaking on behalf of the industry, when, in fact, they speak for only themselves and wish to promote an agenda that benefits them philosophically or monetarily.

Perhaps OTP Kid can share with us his/her comments submitted to the FDA (that is if OTP Kid bothered to take the time to think about, write and submit comments).

I was pleased to read (in an article in today’s Wall Street Journal) that Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds submitted comments to the FDA that similarly urged the agency to truthfully inform smokers that smokefree tobacco products are less hazardous alternatives to cigarettes.

To submit a comment, go to http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a34db4

For more information about FDA tobacco regulations, go to http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/default.htm

In public comments, Smokefree Pennsylvania urged the FDA to:

- truthfully inform smokers and the public that smokefree tobacco/nicotine products are far less hazardous alternatives to cigarettes, and that millions of smokers have already reduced their health risks by switching to smokefree tobacco/nicotine products,

- eliminate the misleading “This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes” warning on smokeless products,

- eliminate the unsubstantiated “This product may cause mouth cancer” warning from snus and other low nitrosamine smokeless products,

- require a warning on all cigarette packs stating “Smokefree tobacco and nicotine products are less hazardous alternatives to cigarettes”,

- evaluate and publish the relative and comparable health risks of different tobacco/nicotine products,

- establish stricter standers for “modified risk” and “reduced exposure” claims for cigarettes than for smokefree tobacco products,

- oppose cigarette emission standards, as they would perpetuate the safer cigarette fraud because humans smoke differently than machines,

- require a warning on all cigarette packs stating “There is no such thing as a safer cigarette, as all cigarettes are similarly hazardous”,

- approve NY State Health Commissioner Daines’ petition to make NRT more accessible and affordable to smokers, and to change NRT pack warnings to provide comparable health benefit and risk information about NRT use versus continued cigarette use,

- approve temporary and long term usage of NRT products for smokers and other tobacco users,

- inform smokers and the public that most exsmokers have quit cold turkey (not by using NRT or Rx products),

- redefine electronic cigarettes as a new category of tobacco products, and propose reasonable and responsible e-cigarette regulations,

- acknowledge huge declines in youth tobacco usage during past decade, and FDA’s statutory and constitutional limitations to further reduce youth tobacco usage,

- oppose banning menthol cigarettes, as doing so would create a huge black market, and

- oppose bannning flavorings/additives in cigars or smokefree tobacco products.