The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently unveiled their proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 budgets. Unsurprisingly, both agencies are requesting additional funding, through congressional appropriations and/or fees upon consumers, to address tobacco use — namely among youth.
The CDC and FDA are two of the worst agencies in the world when it comes to advancing the manufacturing of tobacco harm-reduction products. Even more appalling, they are the same agencies that, whether through inaction or campaigns, continue to drive misperceptions surrounding nicotine and the continuum of risk for various tobacco products, as well as driving forward prohibitionist policies that will lead to unintended consequences.
For FY 2025, the CDC is requesting $265 million for their ongoing tobacco control and prevention programs, which is $10 million in additional funding from FY 2023. The FDA, which is funded completely by user fees (currently applicable to only six classes of tobacco products), is requesting user fees be increased to account for inflation. The FDA is also expanding the product categories to collect user fees, including e-cigarettes.
Neither agency should be rewarded with additional funding while they fail at both informing the public of reduced-risk tobacco products and properly regulating the marketplace for adult access.
The CDC has waged a misinformation campaign against e-cigarettes under the guise of protecting children. It was a noble cause to address youth e-cigarette use several years ago, but it was after the U.S. surgeon general declared a youth vaping epidemic in
