Van Hollen Hails Final Passage Of The Family Smoking Prevention And Tobacco Control Act

Statement

Today, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Assistant to the Speaker, issued the following statement on final passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act:

"Today's passage of the bipartisan Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act is an important and historic moment for the American people. I was proud to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation, and I want to thank Chairman Waxman and Senator Kennedy for their leadership on this issue. Granting the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products is long overdue. This legislation is a critical step in protecting the health and well being of millions of Americans, especially children, from the deadly effects of tobacco use.

"It is a shame that tobacco products have gone unregulated in this country, despite their incredibly addictive nature, for so long. For generations, the tobacco companies knowingly targeted our kids through flavored cigarettes, manipulating the ingredients in their products, false advertising and other deceiving methods - all to ensure that their profit margins remained high.
"This legislation will help prevent future generations of young people from getting addicted to tobacco products, something I'm proud to say Maryland has already made significant efforts to do, including a comprehensive smokefree indoor air law.

"Addiction to tobacco products has had a huge cost to our society in terms of lives and money by killing over 400,000 Americans each year. This legislation will save lives and money, and I am proud to have joined my colleagues today in passing it."

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