February 25, 1994: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responding to a
petition asking FDA to regulate low-tar and low- nicotine cigarettes, writes a
letter to the Coalition on Smoking or Health stating that the Agency will consider
the question of whether it has jurisdiction over nicotine-containing tobacco
products.
March 25, 1994: Food and Drug Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D.,
testifies before the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce on FDA's preliminary evidence -- including
industry patents and analyses of nicotine-to- tar ratios -- that cigarette companies
control the levels of nicotine in a manner that creates and sustains addiction in the
vast majority of smokers.
April 14, 1994: The Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce hears testimony from the chief executives
of seven tobacco companies on the industry's views on nicotine addiction and on
industry practices with regard to nicotine, and each executive denies that nicotine
in tobacco products is addictive.
April 28, 1994: The Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce hears testimony from two former Philip
Morris scientists, Victor DeNoble and Paul Mele, on their company-sponsored
research establishing the addictive properties of nicotine.
June 21, 1994: Food and Drug Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D., testifies
before the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the House Committee
on Energy and Commerce on evidence developed by the FDA of the cigarette
industry's manipulation of nicotine, specifically one company's breeding of high
nicotine levels in one strain of tobacco and the use of chemical compounds in
cigarettes to enhance nicotine delivery to smokers.
August 2, 1994: FDA's Drug Abuse Advisory Committee holds a public hearing
on the addictiveness of nicotine-containing tobacco products and concludes that
products currently marketed contain nicotine at levels sufficient to create and
sustain addiction in consumers.
August 10, 1995: President Clinton announces the proposed FDA rule to reduce
the access and appeal of tobacco products to children and adolescents and his
goal of reducing children's use of tobacco products by 50 percent within seven
years of final Agency action. The rule is published the next day in the Federal
Register and a public comment period begins.
January 2, 1996: The public comment period for the proposed FDA rule closes,
with a total of more than 95,000 different comments -- more than 700,000 pieces
of mail -- received.
January 18, 1996: The Department of Health and Human Services and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issue the final Synar
Rule designed to ensure that states and territories adopt and enforce laws
prohibiting the sale or distribution of tobacco products to children.
March 18, 1996: FDA re-opens the public comment period for the limited
purpose of seeking comments on the statements of three former Philip Morris
employees about that company's manipulation of nicotine in the design and
production of cigarettes and to seek comments on further explanations of certain
provisions in the proposed rule.
April 19, 1996: The limited comment period closes.
August 23, 1996: President Clinton announces the publication of the final FDA rule to restrict access and reduce appeal of tobacco products for children and adolescents and FDA's proposal to mount a national mass-media campaign for young people on the dangers of tobacco use.
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