Rep. Fossella Calls for Passage of Landmark Anti-Smoking Bill

Legislation Would Authorize the FDA
to Regulate Tobacco Products

New York Spends More Than $8 Billion Annually on Smoking-Related Health Care Costs,  Two-Thirds of the Cost Picked Up By Taxpayers

[Washington, DC] – Congressman Vito Fossella today called on House leaders to pass landmark legislation that would, for the first time, authorize the federal government to regulate tobacco products to prevent young people from smoking and help current smokers quit. Fossella discussed the legislation with a fifth grade class at P.S. 229 in Bensonhurst this afternoon.

More than a decade in the making, the bipartisan legislation (H.R. 1108) would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the legal authority to ban the sale of cigarettes to children, restrict marketing targeted at young people, require the disclosure of the contents of cigarettes and work to reduce the toxicity of tobacco products.

Fossella said the legislation would, over time, help reduce spiraling healthcare costs directly related to smoking, which have ballooned to $100 billion a year nationwide and $8.17 billion in New York alone, of which two-thirds (or $5.4 billion) is paid for by taxpayers through Medicaid. It is estimated that every household in New York pays roughly $904 in federal and state taxes for smoking-related government expenditures. Smoking accounts for $6.01 billion in smoking-caused productivity losses in New York State alone.

Fossella said, “While smoking is a personal decision, taxpayers ultimately pick up a majority of the tab for this habit. Taxpayers are forced to spend tens of billions of dollars every year to treat smoking-related illnesses, which diverts valuable public health resources from fighting other diseases. By discouraging children from smoking and helping smokers quit the habit, more Americans will be healthier and the financial burden on taxpayers will be lessened. The goal is simple – to prevent young people from smoking and help adults kick the habit.”

Sally Cooper, Regional Vice President for the American Cancer Society in Brooklyn, said, “We are delighted to commend Congressman Fossella and the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (HR 1108). “This legislation is a critical step in the vital mission of protecting the health of future generations of young people from the deadly effects of tobacco. “

The legislation, The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1108), would:

• Impose a federal ban on the sale of tobacco products to minors;
• Prevent tobacco advertising and promotions that target children;
• Ban fruit and candy-flavored cigarettes;
• Identify and reduce the toxic constituents of tobacco products and tobacco smoke, including nicotine levels;
• Prohibit health claims of so-called reduced-risk tobacco products that are not scientifically proven;
• Require larger health warnings on tobacco products;
• Prevent the tobacco industry from misleading the public about the dangers of smoking, including prohibiting the use of terms such as “light,” “mild” and “low-tar”;
• Help smokers overcome their addiction.

Despite having an addiction rate higher than marijuana, alcohol or cocaine, tobacco is one of the least regulated of all consumer products. Tobacco products are exempt from basic health protections that the FDA applies to other consumer products, including food, drugs, cosmetics and even dog food.

Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 400,000 fatalities annually. In New York, smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. Roughly 25,500 New Yorkers die each year from their own smoking.

In New York, 16.3% of high school students (about 180,600 individuals) smoke. Another 27,700 young people become new daily smokers each year. In total, 36.3 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by children in New York annually. Nationwide, about 4,000 kids under the age of 18 try their first cigarette each day while an additional 1,000 young people become new regular, daily smokers – a total of 464,000 new underage daily smokers each year. Approximately, 3 million children are current smokers.

The bill is endorsed by more than 630 public health, faith and other organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the March of Dimes, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and AARP. The legislation is also supported by Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest tobacco company, and UST, Inc., the largest maker of smokeless tobacco products.

The legislation was authored by Congressmen Henry Waxman and Tom Davis. The bill recently cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 38-12 with Fossella’s support and is awaiting a floor vote. It also passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and is also awaiting a floor vote.

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