The FDA’s $7 billion bureaucratic black box is fueling black markets
October 12, 2026 by washingtonexaminer.com
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The FDA’s $7 billion bureaucratic black box is fueling black markets
The FDA review backlog is not just an administrative problem; it shapes the market smokers actually face. Legal smoke-free products wait in uncertainty, while illicit and unapproved products move faster than the system designed to regulate them. That imbalance leaves adult smokers with fewer accountable options and gives the black market more space to grow. Product review should be rigorous, but it also has to be timely enough to support harm reduction in the real world.
14.10% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 39.8 million current smokers in United States 17.10% of men are current smokers but only 11.10% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
