US: FDA Vs Tobacco Companies

On 10 February at the federal court in Greensboro the first stage of what promises to be a lengthy and expensive litigation took place, when representatives of the tobacco industry asked judge William Osteen to rule that the Food and Drug Administration has neither authority nor jurisdiction to regulate cigarette sales and marketing, and to overturn the new rules that the FDA is planning to introduce in this contentious area (see AIG-1st Bulletin (February)). Osteen said that he would give his ruling within 5-10 weeks. Richard Cooper, a lawyer acting on behalf of the tobacco companies, accused the FDA of seeking to gain powers to close down the whole tobacco industry.