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Carson Votes To Protect Youth From Tobacco Marketing Schemes

Date: July 29, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Business and Consumers Minors and Children Drugs

Today, Congressman Andre Carson joined 326 of his colleagues in supporting H.R. 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This bipartisan bill grants the Food and Drug Administration the authority to restrict tobacco marketing and sales to youth.

Every day, approximately 4,000 youth try a cigarette for the first time, and another 1,000 become new, regular daily smokers. One-third of these youth will eventually die prematurely as a result.

"With tobacco currently being the number one cause of preventable death in America, we have a moral responsibility to shield our youth from the harmful and often deadly illnesses directly associated with smoking," said Congressman Carson.

In addition to the lives lost to tobacco, the financial losses amount to billions of dollars. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that cigarette smoking costs more than $167.5 billion annually.


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