Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

FAMILY SMOKING PREVENTION AND TOBACCO CONTROL ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - August 01, 2008)

* Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This legislation would grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) long-needed authority to regulate the manufacture, sale, distribution and marketing of tobacco products.

* As we all know, tobacco use contributes to the death of more than 400,000 Americans and costs the nation's health care system nearly $100 billion each year. The most tragic part of this statistic is that virtually all of these deaths are preventable. It is alarming that preventable diseases such as emphysema, heart disease and cancer all can be attributed to the use of tobacco.

* In addition to providing consumers with science-based information about tobacco products, granting FDA the authority to regulate tobacco will more importantly help protect

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our children from using these products. Approximately 90 percent of all adult smokers began their habit while in their teens, or earlier, and two-thirds become regular, daily smokers before they reach the age of 19. According to the American Medical Association, each day, about 4,000 children try smoking a cigarette for the first time and another 1,000 become new, regular, daily smokers. This means that one-third of these children will die prematurely.

* Despite their claims to the contrary, the tobacco companies continue to market their products aggressively toward children. This bill will give FDA the authority to impose marketing restrictions, labeling requirements, as well as to ban candy flavored tobacco products in order to prevent tobacco companies from addicting children to tobacco.

* I am also pleased that the bill before us includes language that maintains the same role of the Appropriations Committee with regard to the fees in this bill that the Committee has with regard to other FDA user fees.

* This bill has strong bipartisan support, and is endorsed by key groups including the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

* I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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