oral argument not yet scheduled no. 17-5196 in the … · oral argument not yet scheduled no....
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ORAL ARGUMENT NOT YET SCHEDULED
No. 17-5196
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
NICOPURE LABS, LLC, RIGHT TO BE SMOKE FREE COALITION,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, et al.,
Defendants-Appellees.
On Appeal From The United States District Court For The District Of Columbia
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Thomas J. Miller Iowa Attorney General
Jacob Larson Assistant Attorney General IOWA ATTORNEY GENERALzS OFFICE
1305 E. Walnut St. Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-5164 [email protected]
Nathan Blake, Deputy Attorney General Louis Sloven, Assistant Attorney General
Counsel for Amicus Curiae State of Iowa
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CERTIFICATE AS TO PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASES
Pursuant to D.C. Circuit Rule 28(a)(1), amicus curiae certifies as follows:
A. Parties
Except for the following, all parties, intervenors, and amici appearing before
the district court and in this Court are properly listed in the Brief for Appellants:
Amici in this Court: Clive Bates and Additional Public Health/Tobacco
Policy Authorities; NJOY, LLC.
B. Rulings Under Review
The ruling under review is identified in the Brief for Appellants.
C. Related Cases
This case has not previously been before this Court or any other court, and
the State of Iowa is not aware of any related cases that are currently pending.
D. Authority to File
The State of Iowa has authority to file this amicus curiae brief under D.C.
Circuit Rule 29(a)(2).
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TABLE OF CONTENTS #
CERTIFICATE AS TO PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASESttttttttttttttttttttttttt3 #
TABLE OF AUTHORITIESttttttttttttttttttttt,5
GLOSSARYttttttttttttttttttttttttttt10
INTEREST OF AMICUS CURIAE AND SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTt,,t,11
ARGUMENTttttttttttttttttttttttttt,,t,15
THE MRTPR VIOLATES THE FIRST AMENDMENT BY PROHIBITING
TRUTHFUL MODIFIED RISK CLAIMS THAT WOULD HELP PERSUADE
CONSUMERS TO SWITCH FROM COMBUSTIBLE TOBACCO TO ENDSttt,, 15
A. The MRTPR requires preclearance for truthful and non-misleading modified risk claims, and thus reaches speech protected by the First Amendmentttttttttt,t,15
B. The MRTPR requires preclearance for truthful and non-misleading modified risk claims, and thus reaches speech protected by the First Amendmenttttttttttt,16
C. Requiring that ENDS products carry a generalized modified risk disclaimervcoupled with post-market review and enforcement by the FDA, state attorneys general, and private claimantsvwould advance the asserted interest without suppressing true speech,,ttttttttttt,,t.t20
D. Silencing truthful claims to protect non-smokers is unconstitutional, misguided, and counterproductive. ttttt....26
1. Silencing truthful modified risk claims because of concerns about how consumers might behave when correctly informed is unconstitutionalttttttttt,27
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2. Modified risk claims about ENDS are beneficial to public health under any rational set of assumptionstt,t28
3. ENDS are not a gateway to combustible tobacco for consumers who understand the comparative risksttt,t,,30
4. The FDA should permit attempts to encourage smokers to stop using combustible tobacco products and to save them from preventable disease and death, regardless of minor impacts on new ENDS userstttttttt,t34
CONCLUSIONttttttttttttttttttttttt...tt38
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCEtttttttttttttt...ttt40
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICEtttttttttttttttttttt41
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES Page(s)
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GLOSSARY
MRTP v Modified Risk Tobacco Products
MRTPR v O`] A?<zk Hg\a^a]\ Makc OgZY[[g Kroduct Rule
ENDS v Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
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INTEREST OF AMICUS CURIAE AND SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
Amicus is the State of Iowa, compelled to defend its strong interest in
reducing the number of Iowans who smoke combustible tobacco products. wJ^ l`]
28,000 deaths in Iowa each year, 4,400 (16%) are caused by cardiovascular
\ak]Yk]* [`jgfa[ dmf_ \ak]Yk] Yf\ [Yf[]j j]dYl]\ lg kegcaf_,x1 Beyond Iowa,
w[c]igarette use remains the leading cause of avoidable death in the United
NlYl]k,x2 Every death from smoking cigarettes is preventable; every combustible
cigarette purchased represents a missed opportunity.
The difference of risk between combustible cigarettes and non-combustibles,
like e-cigarettes, is dramatic. It has long been held that nicotine addicts and
combustion kills. This happens because the combustion produces and contains
carbon monoxide and over a hundred other toxic chemicals. See FDA, Chemicals
in Cigarettes: From Plant to Product to Puff (updated Dec. 19, 2017),
https://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/ProductsIngredientsComponents/u
cm535235.htm. Public Health England has concluded that e-cigarettes are at least
95% less harmful than combustibles. See Royal Coll. of Physicians, Nicotine
###########################################################1 DgoY ?]hzl g^ KmZ, C]Ydl`* Iowa Adult Cigarette Use at 1 (2014), https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/115/surveillance%2C%20evaluation%20and%20statistics/AdultPrevFctSheet201213_CgtDemgrph_150915WebnoACE.pdf. 2 See Jonathan H. Adler, Regulatory Obstacles to Harm-Reduction: The Case of Smoking, 11 NYU J. L. ' GaZ]jlq 204* 204 (0./5) ([alaf_ ?]hzl g^ C]Ydl` & Human Servs., The Health Consequences of Smoking h 50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General (2014)).
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12
Without Smoke: Tobacco Harm Reduction, 83u84 (2016). Iowa has approximately
400,000 cigarette smokersvabout 200,000 will die from smoking-related disease.
See DgoY ?]hzl g^ KmZ, C]Ydl`* Iowa Adult Cigarette Use at 1. If all Iowa smokers
switched to e-cigarettes, upwards of 100,000 lives could be saved.
Iowa advocates for a harm-reduction approach* o`a[` ogmd\ wj]\m[]
tobacco-related health risks while assuming continued use of tobacco or nicotine-
containing products.x See FYl`d]]f NljYllgf ]l Yd,* IYlzd <[Y\, g^ N[a, @f_z_ '
Med., Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes 18-1 (2018). Researchers
generally agree that w[gehd]l]dq kmZklalmlaf_ ]-cigarettes for combustible tobacco
[a_Yj]ll]k j]\m[]k mk]jkz ]phgkmj] lg fme]jgmk lgpa[Yflk Yf\ [Yj[afg_]fk hj]k]fl
in combustible toZY[[g [a_Yj]ll]kx and j]\m[]k wY\n]jk] `]Ydl` gml[ge]kx
associated with smoking. See id. at 18-13, 18-24.
Generally, every time an alternative product is purchased in place of a
combustible tobacco product, overall health outcomes improve.3 The FDA already
Y[cfgod]\_]k l`Yl ]d][ljgfa[ fa[glaf] \]dan]jq kqkl]ek (w@I?Nx) can offer
###########################################################3 A characteristic example of how popularity affects the public
health outcome comes from the use of snus by men in Sweden. . . . The high prevalence of snus and low prevalence of tobacco cigarette use among tobacco users is at least partly responsible for the lowest death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease that are observed in Sweden compared to any other European Union country.
Konstantinos Farsalinos, E-Cigarettes: An Aid in Smoking Cessation, or a New Health Hazard?, 12 Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease 1, 4 (2017), http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1753465817744960.
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13
wkmZklYflaYd j]\m[lagfk af l`] ]phgkmj] lg `Yje^md [gfklalm]flkx Yf\ ]daeafYl]
wegkl g^ l`] [`]ea[Ydk [Ymkaf_ kegcaf_-related disease from combusted tobacco
mk],x See 6/ A]\, M]_, 06*752 (HYq /.* 0./4) (w?]]eaf_ Mmd]x)* at 29,030u31;
accord 82 Fed. Reg. 2193, 2199 (Jan. 9, 2017) (fglaf_ @I?N wdgo]j \ak]Yk] jakcx).
And yet, the A?<zk Hg\a^a]\ Makc OgZY[[g Kjg\m[l Mmd] (wHMOKMx) prevents
ENDS manufacturers from repeating l`] A?<zk gof findings without pre-market
review, which requires a massive investment and potentially indefinite delays. See
21 U.S.C. § 387k(b)(2)(A)(i)(I), (g)(1)u(2).
The MRTPR places a roadblock in public health advo[Yl]kz hYl` Yf\
frustrates harm-reduction objectives by requiring pre-market review of truthful,
non-misleading claims that compare the health risks of using combustible tobacco
products to the reduced health risks of using ENDS (weg\a^a]\ jakc [dYaekx),
Fortunately, wVlW`] Aajkl <e]f\e]fl \aj][lk mk lg Z] ]kh][aYddq kc]hla[Yd g^
regulations that seek to keep people in the dark for what the government perceives
lg Z] l`]aj gof _gg\*x Yf\ l`Yl \aj][lan] wYhhda]k ]imYddq lg V_gn]jfe]flW Yll]ehlk
lg \]hjan] [gfkme]jk g^ Y[[mjYl] af^gjeYlagf YZgml l`]aj [`gk]f hjg\m[lk,x 44
Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island, 517 U.S. 484, 503 (1996) (opinion of Stevens, J.).
Iowa supports rules that require pre-market review of any claim that a
combustible tobacco product offers a comparatively lower risk than other
tobacco/nicotine productsvthose claims are inherently misleading, and have
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14
historically been used to mislead. But generalized modified risk claims for ENDS
are different because they are truevand the MRTPR undermines momentum
towards critical harm reduction by effectively silencing them.
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15
I. THE MRTPR VIOLATES THE FIRST AMENDMENT BY PROHIBITING
TRUTHFUL MODIFIED RISK CLAIMS THAT WOULD HELP PERSUADE
CONSUMERS TO SWITCH FROM COMBUSTIBLE TOBACCO TO ENDS.
wO`] Aajkl <e]f\e]flzk [gf[]jf ^gj [gee]j[aYd kh]][` ak ZYk]\ on the
af^gjeYlagfYd ^mf[lagf g^ Y\n]jlakaf_,x Central Hudson Gas & Elec. Corp. v.
DaNXUO FQ^b' 6[YYiZ [R B.Y., 447 U.S. 557, 563 (1980). Measures that burden
commercial speech are reviewed under intermediate scrutiny. See id. at 566. Here,
the MRTPR cannot withstand Central Hudson intermediate scrutiny because no
substantial government interest is served by suppressing generalized, truthful
modified risk claims that ec`g l`] A?<zk [gf[dmkagf l`Yl using ENDS is less
harmful than using combustible tobacco products.
A. The MRTPR requires preclearance for truthful and non-misleading modified risk claims, and thus reaches speech protected by the First Amendment.
The MRTPR requires FDA pre-clearance for all ENDS marketing with any
modified risk claims, whether truthful or misleading. See 21 U.S.C. §
387k(b)(2)(A). Thus, it reaches speech protected by the First Amendment.
O`] \aklja[l [gmjlzk Central Hudson analysis ended with the finding that
wl`ak hjgnakagf \g]k fgl ZYf ljml`^md klYl]e]flk YZgml `]Ydl` Z]f]^alk gj j]\m[]\
risks [of modified risk tobacco products]; it simply requires that they be
kmZklYflaYl]\,x See Opinion (7/21/17) at 93. But the FDA has not approved any
MRTP applications, even when exhaustively substantiated. See Mem of P. & A. in
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16
Nmhh, g^ Ia[ghmj]zk Hgl, V?cl, $ 0.-/W (wIa[ghmj] H]e,x)* Yl 17 ' ff,02u25. As
aehd]e]fl]\ l`mk ^Yj* l`] HMOKM ogmd\ w]^^][lan]dq hjg\m[] Y lglYd ZYfx gf Ydd
modified risk claims. See Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly, 533 U.S. 525, 583 n.3
(2001) (Thomas, J., concurring in part); see also News Release, FDA Takes Action
on Applications Seeking to Market Modified Risk Products (Dec 14, 2016),
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm533219.htm
(requiring amendment to application for modified risk claim that snus present
wkmZklYflaYddq dgo]j jakck lg `]Ydl` l`Yf [a_Yj]ll]k*x \]khal] [d]Yj km[[]kk g^ kfmk af
reducing rates of smoking-related disease/death when widely adopted in Sweden).
And the MRTPR burdens ENDS manufacturers who make truthful modified risk
claims with compliance costs, which can be exorbitant. See Opinion (7/21/17) at
65u67 (discussing regulatory impact analysis findings). Even if the FDA approved
truthful modified risk [dYaek egj] ]ph]\alagmkdq* walk hmjhgk] lg kmhhj]kk kh]][`
Yf\ alk mfbmkla^a]\ Zmj\]fk gf ]phj]kkagfx kmZb][ls it to First Amendment scrutiny.
See Sorrell, 564 U.S. at 566.
B. The MRTPR requires preclearance for truthful and non-misleading modified risk claims, and thus reaches speech protected by the First Amendment.
O`] A?< Ykk]jlk Y wkmZklYflaYd _gn]jfe]fl afl]j]kl af hj]n]flaf_ afY[[mjYl]
and harmful health claims about tobacco products of the sort that the industry has
eY\] ^gj eYfq \][Y\]k,x See Deeming Rule, 81 Fed Reg. at 28,987; cf. Discount
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17
Tobacco City & Lottery, Inc. v. United States, 674 F.3d 509, 534 (6th Cir. 2012)
(^g[mkaf_ gf wthe risk that the tobacco industry will make fraudulent claims
regarding the relative health ben]^alk g^ l`] hjg\m[lk l`Yl al eYjc]lk,x), DgoY Y_j]]k
that combustible tobacco products were marketed with misleading comparative
risk claims, and the FDA should continue to assert a substantial interest in
silencing untrue/misleading modified risk claims that downplay the serious risks of
combustible tobacco products. See, e.g., Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco
Control Act, Pub. L. No. 111u31, § (2)(38) (wANKO><x) (wVHWistaken beliefs about
l`] `]Ydl` [gfk]im]f[]k g^ kegcaf_ ydgo lYjz Yf\ yda_`lz [a_Yj]ll]k [Yf j]\m[] l`]
eglanYlagf lg imal kegcaf_ ]flaj]dq Yf\ l`]j]Zq d]Y\ lg \ak]Yk] Yf\ \]Yl`,x).
But the MRTPR prevents ENDS manufacturers from countering those
misconceptions with true informationvand many smokers are still under the
impression that ENDS present the same health risks as combustible tobacco
products. See Timothy R. Huerta et al., Trends in E-Cigarette Awareness and
Perceived Harmfulness in the U.S., 52(3) Am. J., Prev. Med. 339, 339 (2017)
(wPerception that e-cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes declined
from 50.7% in 2012 to 43.1% in 2014,x),4 None of the legislative findings in the
###########################################################4 See also Alexander Persoskie et al., Criterion Validity of Measures of Perceived Relative Harm of E-Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco Compared to Cigarettes, 67 Addictive Behaviors 100, 100u05 (2017) (analyzing data showing that w[o]n direct measures, 26% of adults rated e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes,x Yf\ mkaf_ Z]`YnagjYd \YlY lg [gf^aje l`Yl wV\Waj][l e]Ykmj]k Yhh]Yj lg
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18
FSPTCA assert a substantial interest in silencing truthful modified risk claims that
dispel misconceptions and steer users away from combustible tobacco products.
See FSPTCA, at § 2; cf. Deeming Rule, 81 Fed, M]_, Yl 06*776 (wVDW^ @I?N
promote transition from combustible tobacco use among current users, there could
Z] Y hmZda[ `]Ydl` Z]f]^al,x). Indeed, the government should be overjoyed at any
modified risk claim that reduces combustible tobacco use, which ik wl`] ^gj]egkl
preventable cause of premYlmj] \]Yl` af <e]ja[Yx Yf\ caddk 480,000 each year. See
FSPTCA, at §2(13); ?]hzl g^ C]Ydl` ' CmeYf N]jnk,* The Health Consequences
of Smoking, supra at 676u79; accord Royal Coll. of Physicians, Nicotine Without
Smoke, at 188u7. (w<ddgoaf_ e]kkY_]k gf [ENDS] harm relative to smoking in
commercial and government media campaigns could help to reverse the growing
misconception that e-[a_Yj]ll]k Yf\ lgZY[[g [a_Yj]ll]k Yj] kaeadYjdq `Yje^md,x),
The government cannot claim a substantial interest in prohibiting modified
risk claims that are neither untruthful nor misleading, and that reduce combustible
tobacco use. See 44 Liquormart, 517 U.S. at 496u97 (wV<W NlYl]zk hYl]jfYdakla[
assumption that the public will use truthful, nonmisleading commercial
###########################################################################################################################################################################################
hjgna\] nYda\ af^gjeYlagf YZgml af\ana\mYdkz `Yje Z]da]^kx)9 cf. Ann McNeill et al., E-Cigarettes: An Evidence Update at 6, 11, 57u62 (Pub. Health England 2015)(wO`]j] `Yk Z]]f Yf gn]jYdd k`a^l lgoYj\k l`] afY[[mjYl] h]j[]hlagf g^ V@I?NW being as harmful as cigarettes over the last year in contrast to the current expert estimate that using [ENDS] is around 95% safer thaf kegcaf_,x)*https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/457102/Ecigarettes_an_evidence_update_A_report_commissioned_by_Public_Health_England_FINAL.pdf.
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19
af^gjeYlagf mfoak]dq [Yffgl bmkla^q Y \][akagf lg kmhhj]kk al,x), But the MRTPR
effectively silences truthful/beneficial modified risk claims by burdening them
with arbitrary roadblocks, which renders it unconstitutionally overbroad.
All MRTP applications must include supporting scientific research on the
hjg\m[lzk ]^^][lk* gZk]jnYlagfYd \YlY gf w`go [gfkme]jk Y[lmYddq mk]x l`] hjg\m[l*
Yf\ wkm[` gl`]j af^gjeYlagf Yk l`] N][j]lYjq eYq j]imaj],x 21 U.S.C. § 387k(d).
Ig HMOK [Yf Z] Yhhjgn]\ oal`gml ]klYZdak`af_ l`Yl l`] hjg\m[l* wYk al ak Y[lmYddq
mk]\ Zq [gfkme]jk*x oadd wZ]f]^al l`] `]Ydl` g^ l`] hghmdYlagf Yk Y o`gd] lYcaf_
into account both users of tobacco products and persons who do not currently use
tobacco prg\m[lk,x See id. § 387k(g)(1)(B) & (g)(2)(B)(iv). That determination
afngdn]k [gfka\]jaf_ wl`] af[j]Yk]\ gj \][j]Yk]\ dac]da`gg\ l`Yl h]jkgfk o`g \g
fgl mk] lgZY[[g hjg\m[lk oadd klYjl mkaf_ l`] VHMOKW,x See id. § 387k(g)(4)(C).
Proving any particular effe[l g^ Y kh][a^a[ hjg\m[l gf [gfkme]jkz `qhgl`]la[Yd
behavior will require long-term market studies that the FDA can arbitrarily reject if
it disagrees with necessarily speculative assumptions. Additionally, if the FDA
construes the required showings about potential long-term health effects to require
wdgf_-term, population-d]n]d j]k]Yj[`x Yf\ wdgf_alm\afYd klm\a]k*x Yf ]flaj]
generation of smokers will continue to use combustible tobacco products while the
MRTPR forces ENDS manufacturers to hold their tongues. See Deeming Rule, 81
Fed. Reg. at 29,029; accord id. Yl 07*./2 (wHgj] j]search, especially longitudinal
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20
j]k]Yj[`* ak f]]\]\ lg mf\]jklYf\ `go ^dYngjaf_ aehY[lk lgZY[[g mk] gn]j lae],x).
@I?N eYfm^Y[lmj]jk ]klaeYl] l`Yl wkmZeallaf_ Yf Yhhda[Ylagf lg _]l Y hjg\m[l
approved would take more than 1,700 hours and cost more than $1 maddagf,x See
Sabrina Tavernise, F.D.A. Imposes Rules for E-Cigarettes in a Landmark Move,
N.Y. Times (May 5, 2016), http://nyti.ms/23rXQXX. And even then, all relevant
provisions emphasize that FDA approval is discretionary, which raises the specter
of impermissibly arbitrary refusals to approve MRTP marketing that complies with
all relevant requirements. See, e.g., City of Lakewood v. Plain Dealer Pub. Co.,
486 U.S. 750, 755u59 (1988). All of these provisions and features will burden
truthful modified risk claims to the point of silencing them.
C. Requiring that ENDS products carry a generalized modified risk disclaimer`coupled with post-market review and enforcement by the FDA, state attorneys general, and private claimants`would advance the asserted interest without suppressing true speech.
B]f]jYddq* wa^ l`] Bgn]jfe]fl [gmd\ Y[`a]n] alk afl]j]klk af Y eYff]j l`Yl
\g]k fgl j]klja[l kh]][`* gj l`Yl j]klja[lk d]kk kh]][`* l`] Bgn]jfe]fl emkl \g kg,x
Thompson v. Western States Medical Center, 535 U.S. 357, 371u72 (2002)).
Leading cases that resolve First Amendment challenges to restrictions on
[gee]j[aYd kh]][` `Yn] lqha[Yddq na]o]\ w\ak[dYae]jk Yk [gfklalmlagfYddq
preferaZd] lg gmlja_`l kmhhj]kkagf,x Pearson v. Shalala, 164 F.3d 650, 657 (D.C.
>aj, /777), wV?Wak[dgkmj] j]imaj]e]flk lj]f[` em[` egj] fYjjgodq gf Yn
Y\n]jlak]jzk afl]j]klk l`Yf \g ^dYl hjg`aZalagfk gf kh]][`,x See Zauderer v. Office of
WUEC!Ecug!$28.62;7!!!!!!Fqewogpv!$2829751!!!!!!!!!!!!Hkngf<!1303103129!!!!!!Rcig!31!qh!52
21
Disciplinary Counsel of Supreme Court of Ohio, 471 U.S. 626, 651 (1985); see
also Peel v. Attorney Registration and DiscU\XUZM^e 6[YYiZ [R =XXUZ[U_, 496 U.S.
91, 110 & n.17 (1990).
ENDS-specific disclaimers would be a constitutionally preferable alternative
to the MRTPR and would fulfill the same objectives. Instead of prohibiting
truthful, non-misleading modified risk claims, the FDA could require ENDS
products to carry a mandatory disclaimer that succinctly ]phdYafk l`] A?<zk
general findings regarding ENDS products, like this:
THIS PRODUCT IS LESS HARMFUL THAN CIGARETTES
BUT NOT AS SAFE AS NOT SMOKING AT ALL
Those eighteen words (in addition to language about the addictive property
g^ fa[glaf] hjg\m[lk) ogmd\ kmeeYjar] l`] k[a]fla^a[ [geemfalqzk ^af\af_k. See
FYl`d]]f NljYllgf ]l Yd,* IYlzd <[Y\, g^ N[a, @f_z_ ' H]\,* Public Health
Consequences of E-Cigarettes at 18-/ (wO`]j] ak conclusive evidence that
completely substituting e-cigarettes for combustible tobacco cigarettes reduces
mk]jkz ]phgkmj] lg fme]jgmk loxicants and carcinogens present in combustible
lgZY[[g [a_Yj]ll]k,x), Mandatory disclaimers are a w^Yj d]kk j]klja[lan] Ydl]jfYlan]x
that would fully address the concerns identified in the FSPTCA, by the FDA, by
Discount Tobacco, and by the district court. See Thompson, 535 U.S. at 376.
5+,4!231'6&5!,4!.(44!+$3/)6.!5+$0!&,*$3(55(4!
%65!015!$4!4$)(!$4!015!4/1-,0*!13!7$2,0*!$5!$..!
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22
Such disclaimers would eliminate most commercial incentives to make
untruthful or misleading modified risk claims. If the FDA-mandated disclaimer
informs consumers that ENDS are comparatively less harmful than cigarettes,
many rational ENDS manufacturers will determine that making additional
modified risk claims could expose them to legal liability without adding anything
e]Yfaf_^md lg l`] A?<zk original proclamation. Others would identify an incentive
lg w\]n]dgh hjg\m[lk YZgml o`a[` ljml`^md hgkalan] `]Ydl` [dYaek [Yf Z] eY\]xvas
long as they were free to make truthfmd eg\a^a]\ jakc [dYaek l`Yl ogmd\ whgkalagf
l`]aj hjg\m[lk Yk `]Ydl`a]j gj d]kk \Yf_]jgmk l`Yf l`]aj [geh]lalgjk,x See Adler,
Regulatory Obstacles, at 464; see also J. Howard Beales III, Health-Related
Claims, the Market for Information, and the First Amendment, 21 Health Matrix: J.
Law-Med. 7, 8u10 (2011) (discussing incentives for product advertising that
`a_`da_`lk wl`] YZk]f[] g^ Y f]_Ylan] [`YjY[l]jakla[x af [gehYjakgf lg [geh]laf_
products that possess those negative characteristics).
That disclaimer requirement could work in tandem with rigorous after-
market review of suspicious modified risk claims. The deterrent value of potential
FDA action can be supplemented by the potential for untruthful modified risk
claims to create massive tort liability. See, e.g., Altria Group, Inc. v. Good, 555
U.S. 70, 72u76, 87u91 (2008); 21 U.S.C. § 387p(b) (clarifying that FSPTCA did
fgl Y^^][l wl`] daYZadalq g^ Yfq h]jkgf mf\]j l`] hjg\m[l daYZadalq dYo g^ Yfq NlYl]x),
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23
Indeed, afq @I?N hjg\m[l ogmd\ Z] weakZjYf\]\x a^ alk dYZ]daf_ gj Y\n]jlakaf_ Yj]
misleading, and the FDA could seek injunctions against sale of those products,
along with massive monetary penalties and/or product seizures for violating
applicable provisions of the FDCA. See 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(a), 332(a), 333(f)(9)(B),
334(a)(2), 387c(a)(1) & (a)(7)(A). O`] DgoY <llgjf]q B]f]jYdzk J^^a[] ak hj]hYj]\
to take action against any untruthful health claims, and could join with other states
in multistate actions against malfeasant companies. State Attorneys General have a
rich and successful history of multistate litigation and enforcement, especially in
tobacco-related areas.
Discount Tobacco j]b][l]\ l`] hgkkaZadalq g^ whgkl-market review of
\][]hlan] [dYaekx Z][Ymk] km[` e]Ykmj]k w`Yn] Ydj]Y\q Z]]f lja]\ Yf\ ^gmf\
oYflaf_x Yf\ l`] Y\\a[lan] imYdalq g^ fa[glaf] eYc]k al wY najlmYd aehgkkaZadalq lg
mfjaf_ l`] Z]dd g^ eakaf^gjeYlagf Y^l]j al `Yk Z]]f jmf_,x See Discount Tobacco,
674 F.3d at 537. It is true that post-market review was ineffective at stopping large
cigarette manufacturers from misleading the publicvthe entire industry colluded
to obfuscate the issue, suppress unfavorable research, and create sham entities to
spread misinformation about cigarettes, unconnected to any specific brand. See id.
But there are two important differences. First, the claims made about cigarettes
were fundamentally and totally false. Here, the modified risk claims being madev
that e-cigarettes are dramatically less harmful than combustible cigarettesvare
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24
fundamentally true. This changes the constitutional analysis, and also removes any
lingering incentive to make potentially misleading claims. Second, this burgeoning
market for ENDS is different: it is crowded with smaller manufacturers who,
mfdac] w=a_ OgZY[[g*x [Yffgl Y^^gj\ lg ^dYmfl l`] A?< oal` aehmfalq (or create
numerous future tort claimants) and cannot expect to capture a meaningfully large
share of the market from any collusive scheme. See Shu-Hong Zhu et al., Four
Hundred and Sixty Brands of E-Cigarettes and Counting: Implications for Product
Regulation, 23 Tobacco Control iii3, iii5u6 (2014) (^af\af_ wY f]l af[j]Yk] g^ /.,3
brands and 242 new flavors per monthx in ENDS markets, and observing newer
k]dd]jk o]j] wka_fa^a[Yfldq d]kk dac]dq lg eYc] l`gk] [dYaek l`Yl eY\] ]-cigarettes
[gfljgn]jkaYd af l`] ^ajkl hdY[]x), Additionally, an ENDS-exclusive company has
gmlkljahh]\ w=a_ OgZY[[gx and currently boasts the largest market share among all
ENDS purveyors. See Richard Craver, Juul Continues to Expand E-Cig Market
Share Gap with Vuse; Newport Keeps Ticking Up, Winston-Salem Journal (Jan.
10, 2018), http://www.journalnow.com/business/juul-continues-to-expand-e-cig-
market-share-gap-with/article_a18fad85-7200-5bc1-a148-a4055bdf2e4b.html.
wV>Wgf[]jf YZgml l`] hgkkaZadalq g^ \][]hlagf af `qhgl`]la[Yd [Yk]k ak fgl
sufficient to rebut the constitutional presumption favoring disclosure over
[gf[]Yde]fl,x See =NMZQf b' 9X[^UPM 7Q\i` [R 5a_UZQ__ MZP D^[RiX EQSaXM`U[Z, 512
U.S. 136, 146 (1994) (quoting Peel, 496 U.S. at 111). This is a different industry
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25
with more vulnerable players who compete for consumers who are well aware
(and routinely reminded) that smoking is never safe and nicotine is addictive, in a
relatively hostile legal/regulatory environment where the chief regulatory agency
proclaims its frustration with misleading modified risk claims. See Deeming Rule,
81 Fed. Reg. at 28,975. There is no basis for concluding that, without pre-market
review of modified risk claims, ENDS manufacturers would stake their livelihoods
on untruthful modified risk claimsvespecially when the inclusion of a generalized,
truthful modified risk claim in an FDA-mandated disclaimer would minimize any
incentive to gild the lily with false claims. Accord Lorillard Tobacco Co., 533 U.S.
Yl 343 (wVOWg l`] ]pl]fl l`Yl [a_Yj hjg\m[lk Yf\ [a_Yj Y\n]jlakaf_ \a^^]j ^jge l`Yl g^
other tobacco products, that difference should inform the inquiry into what speech
j]klja[lagfk Yj] f][]kkYjq,x).
The district court deferred to legislative findings that permitting ENDS
eYfm^Y[lmj]jk lg eYc] eg\a^a]\ jakc [dYaek* w]n]f if accompanied by disclaimers
ogmd\ Z] \]ljae]flYd lg l`] hmZda[ `]Ydl`,x See Opinion (7/21/17) at 92u93
(quoting FSPTCA § 2(41)u(42)). But simply reciting that assertion cannot be
]fgm_` [Yjjq l`] _gn]jfe]flzk Zmj\]f lg \]egfkljYl] l`Yl d]kk j]klja[lan]
alternatives would be inadequate to solve the problem. See Ibanez, 512 U.S. at 146
(quoting Edenfield v. Fane* 3.5 P,N, 54/* 55/ (/771)) (wD^ l`] hjgl][lagfk Y^^gj\]\
commercial speech are to retain their force, we cannot allow rote invocation of the
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26
ogj\k yhgl]flaYddq eakd]Y\af_z lg kmhhdYfl l`] V_gn]jfe]flzkW Zmj\]f lg
demonstrate that the harms it recites are real and that its restriction will in fact
Ydd]naYl] l`]e lg Y eYl]jaYd \]_j]],x), Because requiring a generalized modified
risk disclaimer for ENDS products would achieve the asserted government interest
oal`gml l`] HMOKMzk mff][]kkYjq Zurdens on truthful commercial speech, the
MRTPR cannot survive Central Hudson intermediate scrutiny.
D. Silencing truthful claims to protect non-smokers is unconstitutional, misguided, and counterproductive.
For any modified risk claimvincluding advertisements that simply repeat
l`] A?<zk ^af\af_k gf l`] j]\m[]\ `]Ydl` jakck that ENDS presentv ENDS
eYfm^Y[lmj]jk f]]\ lg hjgn] l`]aj hjg\m[lk wZ]f]^al l`] `]Ydl` g^ l`] hghmdYlagf Yk
a whole taking into account both users of tobacco products and persons who do not
[mjj]fldq mk] lgZY[[g hjg\m[lk,x See 21 U.S.C. § 381k(g)(1)(B) & (2)(B)(iv). The
A?< Ykk]jlk l`Yl wal ak hgkkaZd] l`Yl km[` hjg\mcts may result in overall public
health harm if individuals who would not have initiated tobacco use in the absence
g^ @I?N mdlaeYl]dq _jY\mYl] lg [geZmkl]\ hjg\m[lk,x See Deeming Rule, 81 Fed.
Reg. at 28,998. That analysis, as applied to truthful claims, is constitutionally
impermissible. Additionally, it misunderstands ENDS-related behavioral research.
And, most importantly for Iowa, it suggests that relatively minor health impacts on
non-smokers can justify allowing preventable deaths among smokers. Whatever
happens to the MRTPR, these provisions should not survive.
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27
1. Silencing truthful modified risk claims because of concerns about how consumers might behave when correctly informed is unconstitutional.
A truthful modified risk claim may fail pre-market review if the FDA finds
the product is not beneficial to populations of non-smokers. See 21 U.S.C. §
381k(g)(1)(B) & (0)(=)(an), w=ml yl`] ^]Yj l`Yl h]ghd] ogmd\ eYc] ZY\ \][akagfk a^
_an]f ljml`^md af^gjeYlagfz [Yffgl bmkla^q [gfl]fl-ZYk]\ Zmj\]fk gf kh]][`,x
Sorrell, 564 U.S. at 577 (quoting Thompson, 535 U.S. at 374). Ak Yhhda]\ wY_Yafkl
ljml`^md* fgfeakd]Y\af_ [gee]j[aYd kh]][`*x l`ak jYlagfYd] j]da]k mhgf wl`]
g^^]fkan] Ykkmehlagf l`Yl l`] hmZda[ oadd j]khgf\ yajjYlagfYddqz lg l`] ljml`,x See 44
Liquormart, 535 U.S. at 503 (quoting Linmark Associates, Inc. v. Willingboro, 431
U.S. 85, 96 (1977)). ENDS manufacturers w`Yn] Yf afl]j]kl af [gfn]qaf_ ljml`^md
information about their products to adults, and adults have a corresponding interest
in receiving truthful information about [ENDS],x See Lorillard Tobacco Co., 533
U.S. at 564, wDt is precisely this kind of choice, between the dangers of suppressing
information, and the dangers of its misuse if it is freely available, that the First
<e]f\e]fl eYc]k ^gj mk,x See Virginia Bd. of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens
Consumer Council, Inc., 425 U.S. 748, 770 (1976); accord 44 Liquormart, 535
U.S. at 496u97, 503. This application of the MRTPR to truthful modified risk
claims is flatly unconstitutional.
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28
2. Modified risk claims about ENDS are beneficial to public health under any rational set of assumptions.
Under all realistic scenarios, widespread adoption of ENDS would reduce
combustible cigarette use and would be beneficial to public health.5 It is almost
absurd to suggest that informing consumers that e-cigarettes are significantly less
harmful than cigarettes will produce more combustible smokers than keeping the
truth from them. The MRTPR requires ENDS manufacturers to construct
counterfactual speculations and invest heavily in longitudinal research to prove an
effect that is already readily observable.
E-cigarette use rates for adults are at an all-time high, and combustible use
rates are at an all-time low. See Elyse Phillips et al., Tobacco Product Use Among
Adults h United States, 2015, 66 Morbidity & Mortality Wkly. Rep. 1209, 1211u14
(2017). The same pattern emerges among juveniles. See Ahmed Jamal et al.,
Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students h United States, 2011g
2016, 66 Morbidity & Mortality Wkly. Rep. 597, 599u601 (2017). An obvious
causal relationship ]e]j_]k ^jge \YlY k`goaf_ l`Yl whjgdgf_]\ use of e-cigarettes
is associated with a higher smoking cessation rate, independent of the effect of
baseline intention to quit smoking,x See Yue-Lin Zhuang et al., Long-Term E-
###########################################################
&## See FYl`d]]f NljYllgf ]l Yd,* IYlzd <[Y\, g^ N[a, @f_z_ ' H]\,* Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes at 19-3 (noting that initiation/cessation eg\]daf_ ^gj][Yklk Ykkmeaf_ l`] w]plj]e] mhh]j daealx g^ `Yjek ^jge ]-cigarette o]j] af[dm\]\ lg willustrate the level of such negative effects necessary to counterbalance the potential benefits of e-cigarettes at the population levelx),#
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29
Cigarette Use and Smoking Cessation: A Longitudinal Study with U.S. Population,
25 Tobacco Control i90, i94 (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-
2016-053096. And a recent Truth Initiative poll showed t`Yl w6.& g^ ^gje]j
smokers and 69% of current smokers cited reducing or quitting smoking as at least
one reason for using e-[a_Yj]ll]k,x See Truth Initiative, Vaping and Confused:
Adult Smoker and Former Smoker Perceptions and Use of E-Cigarettes at 4, 8
(2017), https://truthinitiative.org/sites/default/files/VapingAndConfused.pdf.
By acting as a substitute for combustible tobacco products, ENDS present an
obvious public health benefit. But the MRTPR requires ENDS manufacturers
navigate a convoluted, expensive, and arbitrary process to convince the FDA of
public health impacts that are readily ascertainable and unambiguously positive.
Even when a real-life experimental grouh g^^]j]\ l`] ogjd\zk _j]Yl]kl ]pYehd] g^
successful harm reductionvnamely, No]\]fzk eYkkan] hmZda[ `]Ydl` ljameh` ^jge
widespread adoption of snus, which decimated rates of both combustible use and
smoking-related diseasesvthe FDA refused to authorize any generalized modified
risk claims. See Farsalinos, E-Cigarettes: An Aid in Smoking Cessation, supra at 4;
News Release, FDA Takes Action, supra. This illustrates how FDA concerns about
wthose who do not use tobacco productsx obstruct efforts to reach smokers who are
currently at serious risk of smoking-related disease and preventable death.
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3. ENDS are not a gateway to combustible tobacco for consumers who understand the comparative risks.
Concerns that juveniles/non-smokers oadd mk] @I?N Yf\ l`]f w_jY\mYl]x lg
combustible tobacco products are overblown. The FDAzk gof \YlY ak j]Ykkmjaf_:
?YlY j]hgjl]\ Zq l`] >?>zk IYlagfYd >]fl]j ^gj C]Ydl` Statistics (NCHS), which provides the first estimates of e-cigarette use among U.S. adults from a nationally representative household interview study, indicate that current cigarette smokers and recent former smokers (i.e., those individuals who quit smoking within the past year) were more likely to use e-cigarettes than long-term former smokers (i.e., those individuals who quit smoking more than one year ago) and adults who had never smoked.
See 6/ A]\, M]_, 06*752 (HYq /.* 0./4) (w?]]eaf_ Mmd]x)* Yl 07*.069 see also
Andy S.L. Tan et al., Comparison of Beliefs About E-6USM^Q``Q_i <M^Y_ MZP
Benefits Among Never Users and Ever Users of E-Cigarettes, 158 Drug & Alcohol
?]h]f\]f[] 45* 51 (0./4) (fglaf_ l`Yl w]-cigarette users tended to be current and
^gje]j kegc]jk af l`ak kYehd]x), @I?N hjg\m[lk Yj] egkldq `]dhaf_ lg Zja\_] l`]
gap for cigarette smokers who want to quit but still need nicotine or derive comfort
from imitating familiar smoking behaviorsvnot for non-smokers who want to start
smoking cigarettes. See, e.g., Royal Coll. of Physicians, Nicotine Without Smoke:
Tobacco Harm Reduction at 95u102, 128u29, 185u86.
O`] c]q lg c]]haf_ [gfkme]jk egnaf_ af l`Yl \aj][lagf gf l`] A?<zk
w[gflafmme g^ jakcx ak ]fkmjaf_ l`Yl [gfkme]jk `Yn] Y[[mjYl] af^gjmation about
comparative health risks. But U.S. adults are increasingly misinformedvthey
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31
waf[j]Ykaf_dq Z]da]n] l`Yl ]-cigarettes could be as harmful as combustible
[a_Yj]ll]k*x h]j`Yhk Z][Ymk] wl`] fYlmj] g^ l`] j]_mdYlgjq environment influences
perceptions of e-[a_Yj]ll]k,x See Ban A. Majeed et al., Changing Perceptions of
Harm of E-Cigarettes Among U.S. Adults, 2012g2015, 52(3) Am. J. Prev. Med.
331, 332, 335u36 (2017). By preventing ENDS purveyors from responding to wl`]
urgent need to convey accurate information to the public, especially adult smokers,
about the available scientific evidence of the harm of e-cigarettes compared with
[geZmklaZd] [a_Yj]ll]k*x l`] HMOKM kYZglY_]k hjg_j]kk lgoYj\k `Yje j]\m[lagf
and creates the danger that consumers will stop moving down the risk continuum
or reverse direction. See id. at 336.
Discount Tobacco `a_`da_`l]\ wl`] _gn]jfe]flzk [geh]ddaf_ afl]j]kl af
j]\m[af_ bmn]fad] lgZY[[g mk],x See Discount Tobacco, 674 F.3d at 536. Concerns
about juveniles using ENDS as Y w_Yl]oYqx lg [geZmklaZd] lgZY[[g (like most
w_Yl]oYq \jm_x [dYaek) mistake correlation for true causation. See, e.g., Lynn T.
Kozlowski & Kenneth E. Warner, Adolescents and E-Cigarettes: Objects of
Concern May Appear Larger Than They Are, 174 Drug & Alcohol Dependence
209, 210u// (0./5) (wV>W`YjY[l]jakla[k g^ l`] h]jkgf Yf\ l`] [gfl]pl _]f]jYddq
\]l]jeaf] hYll]jfk g^ kmZklYf[] mk] egj] l`Yf o`a[` kmZklYf[] ak mk]\ ^ajkl,x),
Juvenile ENDS use is heavily experimental, rarely amounting to regular use and
readily distinguishable from regular combustible use. See Andrea C. Villanti et al.,
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32
Frequency of Youth E-Cigarette and Tobacco Use Patterns in the United States:
Measurement Precision is Critical to Inform Public Health, 19 Nicotine &
Tobacco Research 1345, 1349 (2017), https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntw388 (noting
juvenile use of e-[a_Yj]ll]k k`go]\ whigh prevalence of ever use and higher rates
of infrequent ]ph]jae]flYlagf [gehYj]\ oal` [a_Yj]ll]k* Zml dgo \Yadq mk]x); Cathy
L. Backinger, Presentation, Youth Use of Electronic Cigarettes at 9 (Mar. 8, 2017)
(reporting on CDC survey data showing juvenile use of e-cigarettes: 0.5% daily or
^j]im]fl mk]* 1,/& hYkl 1. \Yq mk]* Yf\ /.,5& ]n]j mk]x)* http://goo.gl/TfQcWy;
cf. McNeill et al., E-Cigarettes: An Evidence Update, supra at 55 (citing English
kmjn]q \YlY k`goaf_ l`Yl w98.5% of experimenting students did not contifm] mk]x
of e-cigarettes beyond initial experimentation).
Moreover, juveniles who have used both ENDS and combustible tobacco
(beyond isolated experimentation) mostly use ENDS as substitutes for cigarettes.
On a population level, it appears that youth are more likely to use e-cigarettes instead of cigarettes rather than use cigarettes because of e-cigarettes. . . . This matches several other studies that use policy variation from e-cigarette MLSA [minimum legal sale age] laws to document a pattern of substitution. . . . [A]bout 2/3rds of youth smoke before they vape (versus 1/3rd reporting the opposite relationship), which suggests that e-[a_Yj]ll]k Yj] egj] dac]dq lg Z] mk]\ Yk y]pal jYehkz jYl`]j l`Yf _Yl]oYys.
Michael F. Pesko & Casey Warman, The Effect of Prices on Youth Cigarette and
E-Cigarette Use: Economic Substitutes or Complements? at 9, 14 (2017),
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3077468; see Abigail S. Friedman, How Does
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Electronic Cigarette Access Affect Adolescent Smoking?, 44 J. Health Econ. 300,
1.5 (0./3) (wV<Wnalysis of state bans on e-cigarette sales to minors indicates that
these restrictions on e-cigarette access increase adolescent smoking by 0.9
percentage points, with the impact only evident once the ban goes into effect, and
gfdq Yegf_ l`gk] kmZb][l lg l`] ZYf,x). The availability of ENDS products is an
obvious and logical explanation for the sudden, precipitous, and unprecedented
drop in juvenile combustible tobacco use.
Countering the rise in [juvenile] e-cigarette use through 2014 was a striking decrease in cigarette smoking. From 2013u15, NYTS reported a 27% decrease in 30-day smoking prevalence among high school students. MTF found a very similar decrease of 30% among high school seniors. Both are unprecedented declines. The decreases recorded by MTF for each of 2013u14 and 2014u15, each exceeding 16%, surpassed the lar_]kl YffmYd h]j[]flY_] \][daf] af l`] kmjn]qzk 40-year history. . . . These decreases in [juvenile] cigarette smoking are not consistent with e-cigarette use spurring smoking.
Kozlowski & Warner, Adolescents and E-Cigarettes, supra at 211. This
replacement effect occurs because juveniles, as the primary targets of most anti-
smoking campaigns, are comparatively more likely to know that ENDS are less
harmful than cigarettes. See Bridget K. Ambrose et al., Flavored Tobacco Product
Use Among U.S. Youth Aged 12g17 Years, 2013g2014, 314 J. Am. Med. Asszf,
1871, 1872 tbl.2 (2015) (noting that 79.1% of juvenile respondents who had used
e-[a_Yj]ll]k j]hgjl]\ [`ggkaf_ l`]e wZ][Ymk] l`]q ea_`l Z] d]kk `Yje^md lg e]
l`Yf [a_Yj]ll]k*x Yf\ 37,3& [`gk] ]-[a_Yj]ll]k wZ][Ymk] l`]q `]dh h]ghd] lg imal
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34
kegcaf_ [a_Yj]ll]kx), This body of research illustrates that concerns about ENDS
hjg\m[lk ^mf[lagfaf_ Yk Y w_Yl]oYqx lg [a_Yj]ll]k Yj] dYj_]dq addmkgjq* l`Yl km[`
dangers only materialize in the absence of true information about comparative
health risks, and that harm reduction approaches can succeed if consumers are
armed with accurate information. The MRTPR, as applied to truthful modified risk
claims about ENDS, is fundamentally misguided and serves no substantial interest
in public health.
4. The FDA should permit attempts to encourage smokers to stop using combustible tobacco products and to save them from preventable disease and death, regardless of minor impacts on new ENDS users.
O`] A?<zk stated concern with ENDS products is that non-smokers will
perceive them as safe alternatives to combustible tobacco, start using them, and
become addicted to nicotine. See Deeming Rule, 6/ A]\, M]_, Yl 06*776 (wNaf[]
ENDS products contain nicotine, it is possible that such products may result in
overall public health harm if individuals who would not have initiated tobacco use
in the absence of ENDS ultimately graduate to combusted products . . . or if the
users would never have afalaYl]\ lgZY[[g mk] YZk]fl l`] YnYadYZadalq g^ @I?N,x),
Both the district court and Discount Tobacco ^g[mk]\ gf l`Yl hgkkaZadalq8 waf l`]
context of a deadly and highly addictive product, it would be a virtual impossibility
to unring the bell of misinforeYlagf Y^l]j al `Yk Z]]f jmf_,x See Opinion (7/21/17)
at 91u92 (quoting Discount Tobacco, 674 F.3d at 537). But the FDA already
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35
requires every nicotine product to carry a disclaimer to inform consumers that
nicotine is highly addictive. See Deeming Rule, 81 Fed. Reg. at 29,017, 29,060,
29,073u74 ([gf^ajeaf_ l`Yl wYf ]-liquid with nicotine is a covered tobacco
hjg\m[lx Yf\ emkl af[dm\] alk warning l`Yl wVfWa[glaf] ak Yf Y\\a[lan] [`]ea[Ydx).
Modified risk claims only impact consumers who choose to use nicotine, despite
(or because of) its addictive qualityvand for that set of nicotine users, the FDA
wj][g_far]k l`Yl [gehd]l]dq koal[`af_ ^jge [geZmkl]\ [a_Yj]ll]k lg @I?N eYq
reduce the risk of tobacco-j]dYl]\ \ak]Yk]x in light of wl`] hjg\m[lkz [gehYjYlan]
placements on the continuum of nicotine-\]dan]jaf_ hjg\m[lk,x See id. at 29,030.
Having identified the grievous health risks to cigarette smokers and the availability
of less harmful alternatives, there is no time to waste. See Lynn T. Kozlowski &
David T. Sweanor, Young or Adult Users of Multiple Tobacco/Nicotine Products
Urgently Need to Be Informed of Meaningful Differences in Product Risks, 76
Addictive Behaviors 376, 377 (2018) (Yj_maf_ wVlWhe priority for this group of
multiple-tobacco/nicotine product users should be to try to reduce risks as much as
possible*x Z][Ymk] wto worry about gateways is like worrying about shutting the
barn door after the horse has escaped.x), Certainly, all consumers should be warned
that nicotine is an addictive substance, and l`] A?<zk disclaimer requirements
ensure they will be. See Deeming Rule, 81 Fed. Reg. at 29060, 29069, 29073u74.
But the smokers who are already addicted to nicotinevincluding juvenilesv
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36
deserve accurate information about the serious health risks inherent to combustible
tobacco and about available alternatives that minimize those health risks. Each use
of combustible tobacco products exposes a smoker (and anyone nearby) to
carcinogenic, cancerous inhalants that are unique to combustible tobaccovand not
present in ENDS. See FYl`d]]f NljYllgf ]l Yd,* IYlzd <[Y\, g^ N[a, @f_z_ ' H]\,*
Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes at 18-13.
The MRTPR, the district court, and Discount Tobacco a\]Ydar] wl`] fa[glaf]
YZklaf]f[] \]eYf\]\ Zq l`] lgZY[[g [gfljgd [geemfalqx o`ad] \akj]_Yj\af_ l`]
monumental harms that will result when weaddagfk g^ kegc]jk will be dissuaded
^jge koal[`af_ lg l`]k] em[` d]kk `YrYj\gmk Ydl]jfYlan]k,x See Riccardo Polosa et
al., A Fresh Look at Tobacco Harm Reduction: The Case for the Electronic
Cigarette, 10:19 Harm Reduction J. at 8u9 (2013), https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-
7517-10-19. Although well-intentioned, their w[a]ttempts to undermine this kind of
harm reduction approachx by silencing truthful modified risk claims about ENDS
wcan play into the hands of the tobacco industry by fostering business as usual for
\]Y\dq [a_Yj]ll]k,x See Lynn T. Kozlowski, Prospects for a Nicotine-Reduction
Strategy in the Cigarette Endgame: Alternative Tobacco Harm Reduction
Strategies* 0/4 Dflzd E, ?jm_ Kgdzq 321* 323 (2015). Major gains in public health
and harm reduction are possible with a focus on changing behavior among people
whose lives are at risk: cigarette smokers.
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37
This massive burden of death, disability and lost opportunity has been entirely avoidable, and much of it can still be prevented by measures that encourage as many smokers as possible, as soon as possible, to stop smoking. . . .
[A]lmost all [approaches] would be complemented by promoting harm-reduction approaches that encourage smokers, who otherwise prove unwilling or unable to quit smoking, to switch to an alternative, low-hazard source of nicotine. . . .
The evidence summarised in this report demonstrates that the emergence of e-cigarettes has generated a massive opportunity for a consumer- as well as a healthcare-led revolution in the way that nicotine is used in society.
See Royal Coll. of Physicians, Nicotine Without Smoke, at 182u83, 188.6 Against
that backdrop, no substantial government interest can be served by silencing
ljml`^md eg\a^a]\ jakc [dYaek l`Yl ogmd\ `]dh kYn] kegc]jkz dan]k* h]f\af_ Y
counterfactual analysis of non-kegc]jkz `qhgl`]la[Yd j]Y[lagfk,
###########################################################6 See also Shu-Hong Zhu et al., E-Cigarette Use and Associated Changes in Population Smoking Cessation, 358 BMJ at 5u6 (2017), https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3262 (fglaf_ l`Yl waf 0./2u15, e-cigarette users in the United States attempted to quit cigarette smoking and succeeded in quitting at higher rates than non-mk]jk*x Yf\ l`Yl j]hj]k]flk wl`] ^ajkl lae] af Ydegkl Y imYjl]j of a century that the smoking cessation rate in the US has increased at the population d]n]dx)9 Ma[[Yj\g KgdgkY* Electronic Cigarette Use and Harm Reversal: Emerging Evidence in the Lung, 13 BMC Med. at 1u3 (2015), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0298-3 (\ak[mkkaf_ w]e]j_af_ ]na\]fce that V@I?NW mk] [Yf j]n]jk] `Yje ^jge lgZY[[g kegcaf_x); accord Kathleen Stratton ]l Yd,* IYlzd <[Y\, g^ N[a, @f_z_ ' H]\,* Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes at 18-24.
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38
CONCLUSION
Requiring ENDS manufacturers to include disclaimers that provide
generalized, truthful statements about modified risk, together with post-market
review and enforcement, would address the purported public health interest in
dispelling misconceptions about the health risks of ENDS in absolute terms, while
allowing manufacturers to market ENDS products as comparatively healthier
alternatives to combustible tobacco products, to encourage smokers to choose
ENDS, and to help prevent them from dying preventable deaths. See Adler,
Regulatory Obstacles to Harm Reduction, 11 NYU J. L. & Liberty Yl 205 (wDf l`]
case of tobacco harm reduction, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to do well by
\gaf_ _gg\,x), The MRTPR chooses a more restrictive means to the same ends,
which means it cannot survive intermediate scrutiny under Central Hudson.
About 400,000 Iowans smoke cigarettes. See DgoY ?]hzl g^ KmZ, C]Ydl`*
Iowa Adult Cigarette Use at 1. They are addicted to nicotine, but they could avoid
serious health risks associated with combustible tobacco if they used ENDS
instead. The FDA accepts the overwhelming consensus among researchers: that
ENDS are less harmful than combustible tobacco. Iowa wants smokers to hear that
message from ENDS manufacturers at the point of sale (and everywhere else) until
it changes their behaviorvbecause when it does, it will have saved their lives.
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39
Dated: February 20, 2018 Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Jacob Larson Assistant Attorney General IOWA ATTORNEY GENERALzS OFFICE
Hoover Building, 2nd Floor 1305 E. Walnut St. Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-5164 [email protected]
Counsel for Amicus Curiae State of Iowa
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40
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32(g)(1), the undersigned
certifies that this brief complies with the applicable typeface, type style, and type-
volume limitations. This brief was prepared using a proportionally spaced type
(Times New Roman, 14 point). Exclusive of the portions exempted by Federal
Rule of Appellate Procedure 32(f) and D.C. Circuit Rule 32(e)(1), this brief
contains 6,384 words. This certificate was prepared in reliance on the word-count
function of the word-processing system used to prepare this brief.
Dated: February 20, 2018 Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Jacob Larson Assistant Attorney General IOWA ATTORNEY GENERALzS OFFICE
Hoover Building, 2nd Floor 1305 E. Walnut St. Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-5164 [email protected]
Counsel for Amicus Curiae State of Iowa
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41
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that on this 20th day of February 2018, I caused a true and correct
copy of the foregoing brief to be served via electronic mail upon all counsel of
j][gj\ Zq gh]jYlagf g^ l`] >gmjlzk @>A kqkl]e,
/s/ Jacob Larson Assistant Attorney General IOWA ATTORNEY GENERALzS OFFICE
Hoover Building, 2nd Floor 1305 E. Walnut St. Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-5164 [email protected]
Counsel for Amicus Curiae State of Iowa
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