Sunday Science Lesson: Tobacco research is social science, some observations for FDA

by Carl V Phillips

Outsourcing to myself.  For those who do not read my personal professional blog, but like science lessons, you might want to read my last two posts there.  Both relate to the current FDA proposal to ban menthol in cigarettes, but the content is about the nature of the science that needs to be used when assessing tobacco regulation.

The first explains how social science has different requirements and characteristics than drug trials, and what understanding is needed to regulate consumer products that are not medicines, both practically and ethically.

The second is an assessment of what is fundamentally missing from the models that FDA et al. have been using to assess the effect of banning menthol in cigarettes, and that they might use to assess MRTPs (harm reduction products) if they are not persuaded that they would be completely misleading.