FDA Could Regulate Tobacco

WaPo reports that a bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committe could finally put tobacco and its derivative "nicotine delivery systems" under FDA control. Which got me thinking about who regulates tobacco now. The answer is: basically nobody. It is an agricultural product not regulated by the USDA and a drug not regulated by the FDA.

There's regulation to make sure the government recieves tobacco revenue. The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), which levies taxes for the IRS and ensures there is no gray market (i.e. re-importing cigarettes and alcohol produced solely for export) in these products. I had no idea the TTB existed.

Oh, and there's the ATF for criminal matters. That's the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives now. The A-T-F. Shame they're so hung up on the acronym. They could be FATE, FAT-E, FEAT ("Feat" or "Fiat"), or even TEAF in a nod to ebonics. Of course, they could always take over "Racketeering" and then all bets are off.