Policymakers are seeing a growing number of proposals — on taxation, retail access, and product regulation — that involve tobacco products the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTPs). As the nicotine marketplace continues to diversify, the number of products seeking and receiving MRTP authorization is likely to increase.
Policymakers are receiving sharply different advocacy accounts of what MRTP authorization means. This brief explains what the MRTP pathway is, why Congress created it, what evidentiary standards are required for an MRTP authorization, and why policymakers should give the FDA’s MRTP determinations serious weight when evaluating tobacco-related legislation.
