AMA applauds Senate Committee passage of tobacco regulation bill; calls for full Senate passage

For immediate release
August 1, 2007

Statement attributable to:
Ron Davis, MD
AMA President

"The American Medical Association applauds the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for passing the "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." The AMA urges the full Senate to protect the health of Americans by passing this legislation this year, which would give the FDA needed regulatory authority over tobacco products.

"Each day, approximately 4,000 kids will try a cigarette for the first time, and another 1,000 will become new, regular, daily smokers. One-third of these kids will eventually die prematurely as a result. To discourage youth from taking up smoking, some of the provisions in the bill would stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children; restrict tobacco marketing, especially to children; ban fruit and candy flavorings in cigarettes; and require more informative health warnings.

"Doctors see the detrimental health effects of smoking daily. Patients suffer from many chronic and fatal diseases related to tobacco use such as cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death in the United States, killing roughly 1,200 Americans every day — many more than those who die from drugs, motor-vehicle crashes, fires, AIDS, homicides and suicides combined. Given what we know about the health effects of smoking and the powerful addictive properties of nicotine, it is unconscionable that tobacco products are currently one of the least regulated products in our society."

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For more information, please contact:

Mollie Turner
AMA Media Relations
(202) 789-7430