By Patty Avery
American Cancer Society
Last week, Indiana Sens. Lugar and Bayh courageously joined their colleagues in the U.S. Senate to pass landmark legislation giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products. They deserve credit and our sincere gratitude. Because of their efforts, we are now closer than ever to reining in a rogue industry that has been able to operate unregulated for far too long.
There is no way to underestimate their historic action. Granting the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products and its marketing will reduce its deadly toll — particularly on our nation’s children.
Today, 3,500 kids will try a cigarette for the first time. Another 1,000 children will become addicted, daily smokers. One-third of those addicted kids will eventually die prematurely as a result of their smoking.
Big Tobacco has a long history of marketing its deadly products to young Americans. While tobacco companies say they’re not marketing to kids, the industry recruits new smokers using despicable marketing practices that prey upon young adults and children with flashy advertising and candy and fruit flavored products. Until now, Big Tobacco has never had to disclose the ingredients in its products, including arsenic and polonium, one of the world’s most radioactive poisons, or the other 4,000 chemicals and more than 60 carcinogens in cigarettes and cigarette smoke.
In the absence of meaningful regulation, the tobacco industry has had dangerously wide latitude to pursue its only goal — to addict more customers and stop current users from quitting. In fact, it is virtually the only legally consumable product still unregulated in the U.S., until now.
The passage of this legislation is an historic moment in the effort to stop Big Tobacco’s deceptive and manipulative marketing practices, which have preyed on children and misled the public about the harm of tobacco for decades. Fortunately, Sens. Lugar and Bayh took the appropriate action to protect all Americans from tobacco-related addiction, disease and premature death.
For this, our senators deserve our thanks. President Obama has pledged to sign the bill. Let’s hope it reaches his desk quickly and is rapidly implemented by the FDA, because each day we wait, 3,500 more children will pick up their first cigarette.
Patty Avery is state lead ambassador for Indiana, American Cancer Society.
Letters
Viewpoint: Lugar, Bayh deserve credit for protecting Hoosiers against Big Tobacco companies
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Viewpoint: Myra Kraft inspiration for Patriots
If there was one good reason for the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, it would be because of what I had read.
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Viewpoint: Anderson a microcosm of America
Wherever I have found comments that I felt were outside the values I believe in or were plain misinformation I have spoken out. At times that has been done with a lack of eloquence.
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Viewpoint: Problems in Anderson go back to President Carter
On Jan. 21, Frank Couch of Anderson stated that political conservatives “just don’t get it.” He sort of indicates Sears’ closing in Anderson is due to the new mayor being Republican.
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Letter: Atheism, anti-theism matters of choice
As the old saying sort of says, “Given enough ink, and a person will drown themselves.” Mr. Allen went under as do many atheists when he wrote “Most brilliant people are usually atheists. It comes with the territory and isn’t really a choice.”
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Viewpoint: Governor, supporters intent on dividing Hoosiers
Gov. Mitch Daniels and his Republican allies have spent the last several years dividing Hoosiers. The main focus of their attack has been any worker represented by a union.
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Viewpoint: Candidates should respect rights of all constituents
Candidates for political office need to let us know if they respect the rights of the American worker, the veterans, the disabled, the handicapped and the elderly.
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Viewpoint: Veterans' pension tax should be exempt
Why can’t the Indiana State General Assembly follow the example of 15 other states and exempt military retirees' pensions?
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Viewpoint: Government leading to control of our lives
We are more and more led toward government control of our lives. This is what Obama wants. We have gradually eased toward socialism. Pit the “have-nots against the haves.” We should celebrate success, not try to tear it down with our envy.
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Letter: Letter-writers’ opinions strike nerve
The letters to the editor on Jan. 18 consisted of “I’m smarter than you” Paschal, “I hate all Republicans” Couch, and “I’m an atheist” Allen. What waste of paper for these people to vent their out-of-touch babble.
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Letter: Right-to-work bill could backfire
Republican Rep. Bauer is most right when he spoke of the constitutional part of this bill and the effects of it.
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Viewpoint: Myra Kraft inspiration for Patriots
