The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) established the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law Section in 1945 as one of the first sections of the NYSBA.
The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law
Section was formed in 1945 following enactment of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act of 1938 (“the Act”). This NYSBA section was the first of its kind in
the nation, serving as the forum for those experts in this field in the private
and public sectors. The Chair cited the importance of the increasing the
bar’s knowledge of the Act, the work of the Food and Drug Administration, the
intended consumer benefits, and the enhancement of technical and ethical
standards of industries involved.
“The action of the Association,
setting up a Section on Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law, is worthy of special
notice not only as this is the first Section of its kind, but also because it
will tend to give this branch of law the prestige, the dignity, and the
attention which it so clearly merits.” - Charles Wesley Dunn, first
Chair, on the creation of the Section.
In addition to food, drug, and
cosmetic issues, committees were also created on related fields of
practice. Within several years of creation, the Section successfully
urged creation of a Food and Drug Committee within the Administrative Law
Section of the American Bar Association. Over the years, the Food, Drug
and Cosmetic Law Section’s committees have evolved to meet the times.
In its first year, the Section
began professional education programs continued today on legislative and
administrative developments, ramifications of amendments to the Act,
enforcement procedures, approval and marketing in interstate commerce,
advertising compliance, and product liability issues. The focal point for
the Section’s professional education has always remained the NYSBA’s Annual
Meeting, supplemented with specialty topics and events throughout the year.
View the list of past section chairs here.
