News
January 10, 2008
harkin calls for immediate action to curb tobacco use in the united states
New report outlines specific steps that can immediately impact tobacco use
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today called on the federal government to take long overdue action to reduce tobacco use in the United States. Harkin released the following statement in light of a new report released by the American Lung Association. The State of Tobacco Control 2007 is annual report card that grades the federal and state governments on its tobacco control legislation. The report emphasizes the historic opportunity Congress has this year to reduce tobacco use by giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco.
"It is absolutely absurd for the FDA to have the authority to regulate chewing gum, but not cigarettes,” said Harkin. “Every single day 4,000 children start smoking, of which 1,000 will ultimately die of smoking related diseases. Providing this authority to the FDA will help reduce smoking rates, especially among young people, while disclosing more factual information about the dangers of smoking. Congress should act now to ensure consumers know the dangers of nicotine and fewer kids get hooked on this deadly drug.”
The report also calls for ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the international tobacco control treaty. The FCTC is the world’s first public health and tobacco control treaty, and establishes international guidelines that countries can implement to control tobacco use and addiction. While the United States signed the treaty in 2004, President Bush has yet to send it to the Senate for ratification.
“The United States must also stand with the global community to combat the tobacco epidemic. The FCTC treaty has the potential to reduce the terrible toll of tobacco throughout the world and slash our healthcare costs,” said Harkin. “The time has come for the Bush Administration to uphold its promise to preventing tobacco use and protecting public health by sending this treaty to the Senate for consideration.”
Harkin has a long history of working on tobacco control and prevention issues. Most recently he introduced the HeLP America Act to reform our health care system to focus on prevention and wellness. It would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover tobacco cessation, eliminate the tax deduction for advertising tobacco products, and fund media campaigns to reduce tobacco use.
The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2007 report can be found at www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org.
###
