Smoke-free a fiery issue
5/7/2006 Richmond, VA John Reid Blackwell TimesDispatch.com (www.timesdispatch.com) New tobacco products heat up debate over merit of cigarette alternatives Two new smoke-free tobacco products could be the wave of the future or a repeat of past missteps, some industry observers say. Cigarette makers Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. plan to test-market smokeless, spit-free tobacco brands targeted at cigarette smokers, fueling a debate among tobacco-control advocates over whether such products will help or hurt public health. The move indicates that cigarette makers are looking for ways to cope with stricter laws against indoor smoking and possible federal government regulation of tobacco products. Manufacturers also may hope to spur demand among smokers for products that are potentially less risky than cigarettes, which cause cancer, heart disease and contribute to about 400,000 premature deaths in the United States each year, public-health agencies say. "The marketplace is beginning to shift," said Scott Ballin, a Washington consultant who works on tobacco- and health-policy issues. If Congress gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products, companies could be allowed to market alternatives as safer than cigarettes, provided they have proof. "What is beginning to happen, in my view, is all these various companies are trying to position themselves to make sure they have a piece of the action," Ballin said. Studies have found that a large percentage of the more than 40 million U.S. smokers have tried to quit or would like to quit. Philip Morris says its research has [...]