The struggle to control smoking in public places has changed dramatically in the past few weeks. The Republican upheaval in Congress removes from the front line the most aggressive official critic of the tobacco industry, Rep. Henry Waxman, D.-Calif., chairman of a health subcommittee. Although the subcommittee's new leadership is not yet certain, under Republican control it is not likely to repeat last spring's extensive interrogations of tobacco company CEOs or continue delving into their once-secret files.
At the same time, the tobacco industry is striking back. Rather than rely on what has been a losing battle against limits on smoking in public places, some of the companies are counter-attacking on new fronts. Philip Morris is in the vanguard of a public relations barrage against smoking critics with full-page ads in major publications around the country. It is also sending a chill into investigative journalists and their sources by seeking to subpoena telephone and credit card records in an effort to identify an industry whistle-blower.
Most intriguing of the new developments is the rebirth of the so-called smokeless cigarette. R. J. Reynolds, which abandoned "safer" cigarette it developed some 10 years ago, has come up with a new, improved version. It doesn't burn tobacco, but passes hot air through a tube, providing the taste and nicotine of a standard cigarette without transmitting the tars and other substances linked to cancer and other diseases. An earlier attempt at developing a smokeless cigarette flopped when the company decided it could not be marketed successfully. The smoke tasted horrible, and marketers feared the inevitable question if a "safer" cigarette were offered: Safer than what? Other cigarettes? Does that mean the others are not safe?
Ironically, the new Reynolds entry could play into the hands of another potential foe. Under Dr. David Kessler, the Food and Drug Administration has been edging closer to regulating sale of cigarettes because they contain an addictive drug: nicotine. Such a move would touch off a furor, not least among the industry's allies in Congress. Dr. Kessler might have weathered the storm with Democrats in control. But the able FDA commissioner is a shrewd reader of political trends. He may not try to turn the smokeless cigarettes to his advantage.