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Overview
Preventing oral cancer and other tobacco-related diseases is a high priority for the ADA. About nine out of 10 people  who die from oral (mouth) and pharyngeal (throat) cancers use tobacco, and the risk of developing these cancers is related to how much and how often they use tobacco .1 On average, 40 percent of those with the disease will not survive more than five years .2 Tobacco products are also associated with higher rates of gum disease, one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults.
The Association is especially concerned about recent attempts to market a new generation of tobacco products as a less harmful (or "reduced risk") alternative to cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco is not a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking; both products pose health risks. Compared to cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products are less likely to cause lung cancer but they are associated with oral (mouth) and pharyngeal (throat) cancers, as well as cancers of the stomach and pancreas.3,4,5,6 These cancers progress rapidly and can be deadly if not diagnosed and treated early.
- Federal regulatory authority. The ADA supports the federal regulation of tobacco products, including calls for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be given the express authority to regulate nicotine as an addictive drug—and tobacco products as nicotine delivery devices.
- Advertising and marketing practices. The ADA supports efforts to ban or otherwise restrict the advertising and other marketing of tobacco products, including prohibitions against free product samplings, marketing to children and adolescents, and advertisements promoting spit tobacco as a healthier alternative to cigarettes (or as a legitimate smoking cessation technique).
- Retail sales. The ADA supports efforts to limit or otherwise discourage the retail purchase of tobacco products, including calls to levy substantial excise taxes on tobacco products; ban the sale of tobacco products through vending machines; impose age restrictions on the sale of tobacco products to minors; and mandate the licensure of tobacco product retailers.
- Recovery support. The ADA supports adding evidence-based treatments for nicotine addiction to all federally-funded health care programs.
- Public education. The ADA supports efforts to educate the public about the many hazards of tobacco use—including the extensive use of media campaigns and the mandatory placement of warning labels on tobacco products.
- Training and technical assistance. The ADA supports calls for enhanced training and technical assistance to ensure clinicians have the latest knowledge, skills, and support systems to help patients overcome their nicotine addiction.
- Continued research. The ADA supports calls for additional controlled studies on the adverse health effects of tobacco use.
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Letters and Testimony
- October 9, 2009—Comments on approaches and actions the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should initially consider during its implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. | PDF file/67k
- October 9, 2009—Letter nominating Dr. Scott Tomar to serve on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. | PDF file/46k
- October 9, 2009—Letter nominating Dr. Kay Rankin to serve on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. | PDF file/42k
- June 12, 2009—Statement on passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
- June 3, 2009—Coalition letter urging members of the Senate to support S. 982 , the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act | PDF file/27k
- May 18, 2009—Letter commending Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) for reintroducing S. 982 , the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act | PDF file/43k
- March 27, 2009—Coalition letter urging members of the House to oppose H.R. 1261 , the Youth Prevention and Tobacco Harm Reduction Act | PDF file/29k
- March 5, 2009—Letter to Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif. 30th) and Todd Platts (R-Penn. 19th) expressing support for H.R. 1256 , the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act | PDF file/39k
- February 15, 2007—Letter to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), expressing support for his efforts to make the federal regulation of tobacco products a priority during the first session of the 110th Congress | PDF file/107k
- March 16, 2005—Coalition letter to members of Congress, calling for action on several tobacco-related priorities during the first session of the 109th Congress | PDF file/95k
- February 24, 2005—Coalition letter to the President, calling on the Administration to send the international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to the United States Senate for immediate ratification | PDF file/25k
- January 21, 2005—Coalition letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, supporting the decision to cover evidence-based treatments for nicotine addiction under Medicare | PDF file/28k
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ADA Resources
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Footnotes
1 American Cancer Society, Detailed Guide: Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer (2007). Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_
factors_for_oral_cavity_and_oropharyngeal_cancer_60.asp. Accessed March 6, 2008.
2 Institute of Medicine, Ending the Tobacco Epidemic: A Blueprint for the Nation, the Institute of Medicine, 2007.
3 International Agency for Research on Cancer, Smokeless Tobacco and some Tobacco-specific N-Nitrosamines, IARC Monographs Volume 89.
4 The S.T.O.P. Guide (The Smokeless Tobacco Outreach and Prevention Guide): A Comprehensive Directory of Smokeless Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Resources. Applied Behavioral Science Press, 1997.
5 Hatsukami, D & Severson, H, "Oral Spit Tobacco: Addiction, Prevention and Treatment," Nicotine and Tobacco Research 1:21–44, 1999.
6 "The Smokeless Tobacco Outreach and Prevention Guide," Applied Behavioral Science Press, 1997.
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Additional Resources
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Contact Us
For additional information, please contact:
Federal Affairs
1111 14th Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
202.898.2400
Fax: 202.898.2437
E-mail: govtpol@ada.org
State Government Affairs
ADA Chicago Headquarters
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312.440.2525
Fax: 312.440.3539
E-mail: govtpol@ada.org
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