Tobacco and Actions of Lawmakers, Media

San Diego Union Tribune Editorial - The Union-Tribune was right on target for calling on Congress to approve pending legislation that would, among other things, give the Food and Drug Administration powers to crack down on cigarette-makers who market to teens and ban products such as candy-flavored cigarettes.

Unfortunately, the editorial implied that I, along with two other local members of Congress, was not supportive of this legislation because we were not listed among its co-sponsors. The truth is my office was still in the process of analyzing this bill, in addition to more than 500 others that have been introduced just since January. Now that I have had the opportunity to review the legislation and all its provisions, not only am I supportive, I have signed on as a co-sponsor. The bottom line is this bill would go a long way toward preventing smoking, especially among teens, by further restricting the sale, promotion and distribution of tobacco products.

Smoking kills, plain and simple. This is why I opposed the latest children's health insurance bill, or SCHIP, which relied on 22 million new young smokers to take up this filthy habit just to pay for this legislation. In the '90s, I also authored a bill that would have made it illegal for minors to possess tobacco products in the District of Columbia.

Watching a loved one die of lung cancer is heartbreaking. I know. I lost my father to smoking when I was in the 10th grade. Today, that teenager is a congressman, and I would like nothing more than to see us do whatever we can to reduce, if not eliminate altogether, the number of people who start smoking.

I sincerely hope that we will soon see the day when no son or daughter will have to watch his or her mother or father die from smoking. I look forward to supporting this bill when it comes before the House of Representatives.

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