Bozeman, Mont. — A new lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration that was filed on July 14th is raising concerns in Bozeman about how some nicotine and e-cigarette products reach the market and how these products impact young people.
Several public health agencies and advocacy groups filed the case in U.S. district court in Maryland over what they described as unauthorized marketing of nicotine and e-cigarette products.
The lawsuit argues that the FDA failed to carry out required market review for certain unauthorized products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, raising concerns about youth access and nicotine addiction.
At Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center, doctors treat patients who use nicotine and e-cigarette products at a steady rate.
Vincenzo Polsinelli, a clinical cardiologist with Bozeman Health, says cases involving nicotine and e-cigarette products can stand out because of who is coming in for care.
"I think most often these patients who come in, it ends up being fairly clear because they're pretty young; they don't have any other overlying health issues," Polsinelli said. "We can usually just advise them to at least cut back, and those symptoms do tend to go away or at least lessen," he said.
Polsinelli explained that some nicotine products, including pouches and e-cigarettes, can help people quit smoking traditional cigarettes. However, he also said the long-term effects of these products remain unclear since they are fairly new.
"Based on what we see in the short term we suspect that it would increase risk of arrythmias, and there's also a slightly increased risk of heart attacks and strokes" Polsinelli said.
The lawsuit claims the FDA was allowing new products onto the market without pre-market review, which is a required step for tobacco products to be legally marketed.
In Montana, concerns about marketing to younger people have also reached schools like Bozeman High School.
Bozeman High School Principal Dan Mills addressed how school officials monitor and address nicotine product use on school grounds.
"When we encounter a student using a nicotine product while at school, our administrative team and/or school resource officer respond with appropriate and progressive disciplinary consequences," Mills said.
The plaintiffs in the case are asking the FDA to drop its policy on how certain nicotine products are marketed. They also argue that the agency does not have the legal authority to enforce that policy.
While Nonstop Local has reached out to the FDA for comment on the lawsuit, we have not heard back yet.