Just moments ago, the US House of Representatives passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act by a vote of 298-112. This is a great victory for heart disease and stroke advocates. The legislation would protect our nation's children from deadly tobacco addiction and the increased risk of heart disease and stroke that comes with it.
Many of our You're the Cure advocates called, emailed and faxed their legislators in advance of this vote. Thank you for all your efforts- they were vital to our success today. Congratulations on this success!
You can read the statement from Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association here:
" We’re extremely pleased this important legislation won approval in the House. This vote brings us closer to putting a deceitful and dangerous industry under the watchful eyes of government regulators. The tobacco industry has proven that it cannot be trusted to regulate itself and protect children from the deadly effects of tobacco use. Shameful attempts to addict children and young adults with misleading advertising campaigns must come to an end. This legislation will save lives, help break the cycle of addiction, reduce health care costs and force tobacco companies to educate consumers about the true health hazards associated with tobacco products. With more than a third of smoking-related deaths linked to heart disease and stroke, Congress must move quickly to send this bill to the President’s desk for his signature. We commend Chairman Henry Waxman and Representative Todd Platts for their leadership and call for immediate action in the Senate. To protect the nation’s health, we must ensure that deadly products on the market receive the same or greater regulatory scrutiny as a box of macaroni and cheese."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment