By Emily Miller
On Feb. 21, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued first orders to stop the further sale and distribution FDA issues order to stop sale, distribution of tobacco products on of four tobacco products currently on the market.
This historical decision marks the first time the FDA has used it authority – under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act – to order a manufacturer of currently available tobacco products to all sales and distribution of a specific product.
Sutra Bidis Red, Sutra Bidis Menthol, Sutra Bidis Red Cone, and Sutra Bidis Menthol Cone – which are manufactured by Jash International – were found to be “not substantially equivalent” to tobacco products that had been previously sold as of Feb. 15, 2007. The term designates items that may cause additional health harms compared to approved products.
These four products will no longer be allowed to be sold or imported into the U.S. In addition, any products currently on the market can be subjected to law enforcement action. Establishments that continue to sell these products will be violation of the law.
“Companies have an obligation to comply with the law,” said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a press release. “Because the company failed to meet the requirement of the Tobacco Control Act, the FDA’s decision means that, regardless of when the products were manufactured, these four products can no longer be legally imported or sold or distributed through interstate commerce in the United States.”
Bidis are thin, hand-rolled cigarettes filled with tobacco and wrapped in leaves from a tendu tree that are tied with string, typically sold in Southeast Asian countries. They come in a variety of flavor, including chocolate, cherry or mango. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they have a higher amount of nicotine, tar and even produce more carbon monoxide that most cigarettes.
The ban on Jash International products is because they failed to provide the names of any currently approved tobacco products equivalent to their own. They also failed to prove that their products caused the same amount of heath damages as other currently approved tobacco products.
The FDA stated that any retailers currently selling Sutra Bidis Red, Sutra Bidis Menthol, Sutra Bidis Red Cone, and Sutra Bidis Menthol Cone have a grace period of 30 days to stop selling these products before legal action will be taken against them.
The use of any tobacco product, regardless of the brand, will decrease the longevity of one’s life as well as negatively affect their ability to qualify for health and life insurance.
