People with high cholesterol levels are strongly urged to stop smoking, since smoking is strongly associated with heart disease. Now legislation has been introduced in Washington that would put tobacco products under the regulation of the Food and Drug Administration. The bill would:

• Define nicotine as a drug and tobacco products as medical devices.
• Give FDA the authority to regulate cigarette and smokeless tobacco product claims and advertising.
• Apply FDA sales and distribution restrictions to tobacco products.

Even its backers acknowledge that the legislation will face an uphill battle in Congress, but it is indicative of the anti-tobacco industry sentiment in Washington.

It follows a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which studied the so-called reduced risk products that the tobacco companies are developing and marketing. The report includes a finding that none of the "reduced risk" products now on the market have been proven to be less hazardous than earlier products.