Are cigarettes approved by the FDA?
Thursday, August 26, 2021
By Marlo Lee
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NO
A social media post claimed that cigarettes are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. That's just not the case.
The FDA does not "approve" tobacco products, but it does regulate the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of tobacco products. There is a difference between regulating a product and approving it for use.
As the FDA itself explains, "the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act provides legal ways for new tobacco products to be marketed." That is what it oversees.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Food and Drug Administration About the Center for Tobacco Products
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