"One of the most significant things to happen to the tobacco control movement was in the mid 90s when the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation decided to enter the fray and was willing to make a multi million dollar financial commitment annually over many years. This funding resulted in the formation of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and a broader coalition. It was also in the 90s that Mississippi filed suit against the industry to recover costs they had incurred in Medicaid payments as a result of tobacco use. Other states began to follow suit resulting in the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with the tobacco industry and the largest financial transaction is the history of the world—236 billion dollars. It was in the spring of 1998 that parts of the MSA , including FDA regulation, were discussed on the floor of the US Senate for 4-5 weeks. This was the longest debate in the Senate since civil rights legislation in the 60s. FDA regulation lost by 2 votes in the Senate.
The next phase was the FDA looking at the statutes and determining that they actually had authority to regulate anything that altered the state of the body and that nicotine did exactly that. Of course, the industry filed suit and it ultimately went to the Supreme Court and the industry won by a 5-4 vote with the court stating that Congress needed to grant the FDA authority. So, since we were thwarted at the federal level we took the fight locally, advocating for clean indoor air laws at the local and state levels and fighting for increased excise taxes. Many of you have been a part of these victories and you changed the landscape and created a tipping point. As these laws became more prevalent, it became easier to make our case in Washington. Nothing happens at the federal level without a strong grassroots movement and that’s what you provided. It wouldn’t have happened had you not changed the environment locally and then made your voice heard in DC. What you do locally makes a huge difference.
The single greatest cause of preventable death in the U.S. is tobacco use—440,000 deaths a year. Now for the first time in the history of this country we have a level playing field and no longer will we allow the industry to prey on our kids and addict them. Remember, 88% of current smokers became addicted as underage youth and the industry’s own documents indicate that they implemented strategies to market to kids as young as 11. That will now come to an end and each of you has been a part of making the world a better place. My thanks to all of you."
Stay tuned for more from former AHA CEOs Cass Wheeler and Dudley Hafner over the next few days...
While we look ahead to the President's bill signing on Monday, take a moment to thank Members of Congress who voted to pass this life-saving legislation. Visit http://www.heartprescription.org/ to send your email.
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6 comments:
I can only say SHAME ON YOU! If you people were intellectually honest, and truly devoted to your "cause, you would be pushing for the illegalization of tobacco products. You, and your organization, are a sham. You make money off of tobacco products (this is an undeniable fact, as you receive tons of money from the federal tobacco tax), and the last thing you want to see in this country is fewer smokers. If everyone quit smoking tomorrow, your organization, as well as the U.S. Government, would be bankrupt in a matter of days. Why don't you try a little honesty and just say that you are celebrating the fact that the government will, once again, be raising taxes on law-abiding smokers so you, and the government, can stay in business? It would be refreshing.
I wonder why you aren't going after the alcohol with such passion. Raise those taxes, try taking that out of society, it ruins just as many lives, causes all kinds of diseases, creates legal problems, financial problems, employment issues, family violence, road hazards, and is marketed to children every day on television, super markets, conveniance stores. I could go on and on. I guess you have to pick your battles?
Congratulations for your part in the destruction of The United States of America.
This is just the latest step in the government takeover of every profitable business and another loss of freedom for the American people.
I am a former smoker and I stopped because I still have freedom of choice. Soon, no one in this country will understand that concept.
This is ridiculous. Another imposition of your own views on others. I'm an occaisional smoker and I enjoy it every now and then and I really resent having to pay $9 bucks a pack because you and your like want to impose heavy taxes. Where are the examples of the tobacco industry "lies"? Tobacco has been around for a very long time and your prohibition won't work. You are better served to work for moderation; not total annihilation of an industry and its workforce.
Oh well now our kids will just turn to worse things and also continue cig. Yes cig. are bad for young ppl. but there truely are things worse. Take away one bad thing they just go to or turn to worse. I say it is crapp the pinpointing on the tobacco industry constant on and off for years. There are people whom die and have died whom never smoked. Pinpointing the smokers, what about the drugs, alcohol etc? How about the chocolate, coffee, maybe potato chips. Oh and lets don't forget the pizza, hamburgers, and television as well as games, and systems. We must start taxing everything high so we can all just crawl in a hole and die enjoying NOTHING. I call it DICTATORSHIP
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