Sen. Durbin and Health Advocates: New Generation of Tobacco Products Threatens Efforts To Reduce Tobacco Use in Illinois

Press Release

Sen. Durbin and Health Advocates: New Generation of Tobacco Products Threatens Efforts To Reduce Tobacco Use in Illinois

An insidious new generation of tobacco products is threatening efforts to reduce tobacco use in the United States. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a coalition of public health organizations today at the Chicago Children's Museum to issue a new report that describes how tobacco manufacturers take advantage of the lack of government regulation to design and market products that recruit new youth users, create and sustain addiction to nicotine, and discourage current users from quitting. Responding to declining smoking rates, tobacco manufacturers are finding novel ways to entice new users, especially children, and discourage current users from quitting.

To stop the tobacco industry's harmful practices and protect public health, leading public health organizations urge Congress to pass pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products and their marketing. Senator Richard Durbin is a leader in the Senate for the FDA legislation. He and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) are cosponsors of the bill. The report was issued by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

"New tobacco products like candy-flavored cigarettes demonstrate that the tobacco industry continues to find ways to target our kids despite their claims to the contrary," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. "Tobacco products are the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, yet they are unregulated to protect public health. That's why I'm working in Congress to protect Illinois' children from tobacco addiction by giving the FDA authority over tobacco."

In Illinois tobacco use causes $4.10 billion in health care bills each year and kills 16,900 residents; 20.8 percent of Illinois high school students currently smoke.

The report details key trends including:

* Flavored products: Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars have been introduced in an array of candy, fruit and alcohol flavors. R.J. Reynolds' Camel cigarettes, for example, have come in more than a dozen flavors, including lime, coconut and pineapple, toffee, and mint. Flavorings mask the harshness of the products and make them more appealing to new users, especially children.
* Novel smokeless products: New and more novel smokeless tobacco products have been marketed as ways to help smokers sustain their addiction in the growing number of places where they cannot smoke. In addition to traditional chewing and spit tobacco, smokeless tobacco now comes in teabag-like pouches and even in dissolvable, candy-like tablets.
* Targeted products and marketing: New products and marketing have been aimed at women, girls and other populations. The most recent example is R.J. Reynolds' Camel No. 9 cigarettes, a pink-hued version that one newspaper dubbed "Barbie Camel" because of marketing that appealed to girls.
* Unproven health claims: A growing list of products have been marketed with unproven and misleading claims that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Claims have included "All of the taste… Less of the toxin" (Brown & Williamson's Advance cigarettes) and "Reduced carcinogens. Premium taste" (Vector Tobacco's Omni Cigarettes).
* Undisclosed Product Designs: The report also illustrates how tobacco manufacturers control nicotine delivery to maximize addiction while using flavorings and other additives to make their products taste milder, easier to inhale and more attractive to children and first time smokers.

A few aspects of product design not disclosed to consumers include the use of :

* Ammonia to increase the speed and efficiency of nicotine absorption.
* Eugenol and Menthol to numb the throat to minimize irritation from smoke.
* Glycerin and Cocoa to enable deep lung exposure (Cocoa produces carcinogens when burned)
* Sugars and Chocolate to make smoke milder and make cigarettes more appealing, especially to children and first time smokers.
* Filter Technology and Ventilation Holes that allows deep penetration of nicotine into the lungs of the smoker and increase the addictiveness of the product.

The report makes it clear that tobacco products are highly engineered nicotine delivery devices finely tuned to appeal to the taste, feel, smell and other sensations of new and addicted smokers.

"Tobacco takes a devastating toll in health, lives and money, both nationwide and in Illinois," said Mary Maryland, incoming president, American Cancer Society, Illinois Division. "By granting the FDA authority over tobacco, Congress can reduce the tremendous financial burden that tobacco use imposes on our health care system and also protect our children from tobacco addiction. We would like to thank Senator Durbin for his leadership and support of this life-saving legislation and urge him to fight for its enactment this year. "

Bipartisan legislation pending before Congress (S. 625/H.R. 1108) would give the FDA authority to:

* Restrict tobacco advertising and promotions, especially to children.
* Ban candy-flavored cigarettes.
* Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, changes to their products and research about the health effects of their products.
* Require changes in tobacco products, such as the removal or reduction of harmful ingredients.
* Prohibit health claims about so-called "reduced risk" products that are not scientifically proven or that would discourage current tobacco users from quitting or encourage new users to start.
* Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products.
* Prohibit terms such as "low-tar," "light" and "mild" that have mislead consumers into believing that certain cigarettes are safer than others.

The Senate bill, sponsored by U.S. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and John Cornyn (R-TX), has 56 co-sponsors, while the House bill, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Tom Davis (R-VA), has 215 co-sponsors. The legislation is also supported by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and more than 580 public health, faith and other organizations across the country. Polling has found that 70 percent of American voters support Congress passing the legislation.

Speakers at the press conference included U.S. Senator Dick Durbin,Mary Maryland, Ph.D., incoming president, American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, Harold Wimmer, President and CEO, American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, Dr. Kathy Grady, Chairperson, American Heart Association, Illinois Advocacy Chair, Joel Africk, President and CEO, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, and Jennifer Farrington, Chief Operating Officer, Chicago Children's Museum.

The report can be found at: www.tobaccofreekids.org/productsreport

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