“This legislation is critical to protect public health because the tobacco industry is currently exempt from federal oversight, and this bill would require the FDA to regulate the manufacturing, distribution and sale of tobacco products,” Ross said. “Giving the FDA oversight to hold tobacco products to the same health standards as other products on the market will crack down on illegal sales to children and restrict advertising and marketing which appeal to children.”

While almost all consumer products are regulated to some degree, tobacco products continue to be exempt from basic oversight. Currently, tobacco companies are not required to test additives for safety, end misleading health claims, or take any further actions to make tobacco products less harmful or addictive. “The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” would grant the FDA the authority to: restrict tobacco advertising and promotions, especially to children; require changes in tobacco products, such as the removal of harmful ingredients or the reduction of nicotine levels; require larger and more informative health warnings on tobacco products; and prohibit terms such as “light,” “mild” and “low-tar” that mislead consumers into believing that certain cigarettes are safer than others.

“More than 5,300 Arkansans die each year due to smoking and that number is only increasing as our kids are continuously exposed to tobacco,” Ross said. “Congress can no longer sit by and allow the tobacco industry to appeal to kids so that they take up this costly and deadly habit.”

The results of recent studies conducted by the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, highlight broad support for providing the FDA with authority over tobacco products. This includes 75 percent of residents in Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District who believe the FDA should have the power to enforce vital public health regulations against tobacco companies. The study also reveals that 26 percent of high school students in Arkansas are smokers, and that each year 14,200 new kids try cigarettes for the first time. Of those, 4,000 children under the age of 18 become regular smokers.

Several Arkansas organizations have endorsed this legislation including the Arkansas Cancer Society, the Arkansas Heart Association and the Arkansas Lung Association. They have joined with more than 60 national organizations committed to reducing and preventing death and disease caused by tobacco use including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, the AARP and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Ross holds a seat on the Health Subcommittee of the coveted House Energy and Commerce Committee where this legislation has been referred to and will be debated this Congress. 

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