Reschenthaler and Davis Introduce Resolution Supporting Tobacco Harm Reduction

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) and Representative Don Davis (D-NC), co-chairs of the Congressional Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) Caucus, introduced H.Res. 979, which calls for the adoption of harm reduction methods and American innovation as part of a comprehensive approach to tobacco control.

 

“As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls for a ban on smoke-free nicotine products, his misguided rhetoric will hurt public health and consumer choice in the marketplace,” said Reschenthaler. “Conversely, this commonsense resolution will help support tobacco harm reduction efforts, which will reduce the occurrence of smoking-related diseases among Americans and help alleviate preventable diseases in our public healthcare system. I urge my colleagues to support this critical resolution.”

 

"The tobacco industry remains a core pillar of North Carolina’s economy,” said Davis. “As Co-Chair of the Tobacco Harm Reduction Caucus, I am proud to support H.Res. 979, expressing support for tobacco harm reduction strategies. We must tap into American innovation to embrace tobacco products that will enhance the well-being of over 30 million smokers across our nation.”

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 28.3 million Americans smoke cigarettes regularly, with over 16 million Americans living with smoking-related diseases. These figures disproportionately reflect low-income and veteran populations. Approximately 20 of every 100 adults with a household income less than $35,0000 identify as current smokers and smoking among U.S. veterans is more than double the national average.

 

For smoking and tobacco use, the CDC promotes the Surgeon General’s recommendation that consumers end their use. However, by the agency’s estimates, less than 10 percent of adult smokers successfully quit each year. This legislation encourages public health authorities, like the CDC, to educate adult consumers and healthcare professionals on the benefits of harm reduction.

 

The resolution also urges the Food and Drug Administration to encourage American innovation in smoke-free alternatives and prioritize authorization of less harmful smoke-free products. Since 2009, the FDA has authorized less than 50 of the more than 26 million tobacco product applications. Updating the tobacco product review process with clear frameworks would allow for greater consumer access to healthier alternatives to smoking and limit the supply of unapproved, potentially dangerous products that have flooded the U.S. marketplace.

 

Last Congress, Reschenthaler and former Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) founded the bipartisan THR Caucus. In 2023, current co-chairs Reschenthaler and Davis reconstituted the caucus, which provides a forum to address all facets of this public health debate, ranging from underage use and prevention, methods to improve public understanding of less harmful alternative products, and the regulatory processes governing these products, among other topics.

 

Full text of the resolution can be read here.