Family Smoking Prevention And Tobacco Control Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank my intrepid chairman, Mr. Dingell, and also Mr. Waxman, for their unfailing commitment to the public health of Americans. This bill is a good bill. When I first came to Congress, now 12 years ago, it seemed to be a bill far outside our reach.

We had a number of hearings in those days, in which the tobacco manufacturers denied even that tobacco was addictive. To come from there to here is truly an extraordinary achievement, and I think we all agree that tobacco should be regulated by the FDA.

One concern I still have in this bill is tobacco is illegal now for people under the age of 21. We all have seen through testimony throughout the years that the people who get addicted to tobacco tend to do so at an early age, and tobacco manufacturers have targeted young people consistently.

I'm afraid that if the manufacturers say that they are targeting only adults, that what will happen will be they in fact will target young people, who will become addicted. That is why I was very pleased to include a provision in this law that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the public health implications of raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products. This report will be in to us within 5 years and we can see if there's more that we can do to protect our vulnerable young people from becoming the targets of advertising an improper addiction to tobacco.

Madam Speaker, this truly is a great day for the health of Americans. I want to commend my chairman again.

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