U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach says that allowing his agency to regulate tobacco products could inadvertently harm public health, the Associated Press reported March 6.

Von Eschenbach, a urological surgeon and oncologist appointed by President Bush and confirmed in December, said that smokers could increase cigarette consumption and inhale more deeply if the FDA reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes. "We could find ourselves in the conundrum of having made a decision about nicotine only to have made the public health radically worse. And that is not the position FDA is in; we approve products that enhance health, not destroy it," said von Eschenbach.

Congress is currently considering legislation that would give FDA regulatory authority over tobacco products. "The bill gives the FDA the authority to adjust nicotine levels -- if doing so is demonstrated to save lives," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The status quo is the tobacco industry decides how much nicotine and other toxic substances are in tobacco products."

Neal Benowicz of the University of California at San Francisco pointed out a study by the National Cancer Institute (which von Eschenbach previously headed) finding that gradually reducing nicotine levels does not cause smokers to smoke more or inhale more deeply.

"What I don't want to see happen is that we are in a position where we are determining that a cigarette is safe," von Eschenbach said. In general, he said, FDA doesn't need more regulatory authority.

"The Bush administration has consistently undercut public health efforts to effectively regulate tobacco products and reduce youth smoking. In that context, this latest statement by an administration official is no surprise," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), co-author of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.