HARMAN DESCRIBES PERSONAL NIGHTMARE IN STATEMENT ON HOUSE FLOOR SUPPORTING LEGISLATION ON FDA REGULATION OF TOBACCO

Both parents died after long illnesses from lung cancer from smoking

Washington, D.C. -- Representative Jane Harman (D-CA), a member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, delivered the following statement on the House floor during debate on The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act:  

I rise in support of this rule and the bill as amended by the Senate.  As they say in the intelligence world, this is a “slam dunk.” 

I’ve experienced the tragedy that afflicts many tobacco users and their families.  Both of my parents were chain smokers in their early years.  My father, a physician, quit when I was young.  But our house reeked of second-hand smoke, and my mother continued to smoke until she could no longer hold a cigarette.  Both parents died after long illnesses from lung cancer.

It was a nightmare.  One I would spare other families.

As a grandmother of three, I hope my grandkids will never smoke.

Approximately 4,000 children try a cigarette for the first time each day.   By the end of this week, thousands of Americans will have died from tobacco-related diseases and thousands more will become new, regular users. 

We can take a big step towards breaking this deadly cycle by giving FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. 

The legislation we are voting on today is a product of a long crusade by my California colleague Henry Waxman, Senator Edward Kennedy, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and scores of Public Health groups.  And it is a big down payment on health care reform. 

California alone spends over $9 billion annually treating tobacco-related diseases. This critical funding could be put towards our failing health care infrastructure and make health care coverage more affordable.

This bill will save lives and scarce resources.  Following its passage today, I hope it will become law promptly and that CBO will find the way to score the savings that came from this and other preventive measures.  Vote aye.

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