Regulation the Right Choice to Reduce Tobacco Use

By Doug Carlson - Aug 28, 2007 - 1

Smoking hand

It is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, snuffing out some 400,000 American lives annually. It costs the nation $96 billion in health care costs each year. And it addicts more than 1,000 kids each day.

Yet this deadly product, tobacco, reaches the lungs and mouths of young and old alike having undergone no regulation by the Food and Drug Administration, the governmental agency tasked with informing consumers of the potential health rewards or risks of everything from toothpaste and dog food to macaroni and cheese.

Proposed federal legislation, however, if enacted, would change this exception and place tobacco among the foods, drugs, and other products that must receive a thorough review before hitting store shelves, television commercials, and highway billboards. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (S. 625/H.R. 1108), introduced with bipartisan support, would enable the FDA to crack down on tobacco marketing and sales to kids, stop tobacco companies from misleading the public about the health risks of their products, and allow the FDA to force tobacco companies to make changes in these products, such as the reduction or removal of harmful constituents.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has been pushing for several years for passage of legislation to authorize the FDA to regulate tobacco, recognizing that it is a pro-life issue.

Dr. Richard Land, president of the ERLC, alongside a diverse group of faith leaders known as Faith United Against Tobacco, expressed his strong sentiment today at a press conference in Nashville, urging the congressional delegation in Tennessee to support the legislation. Dr. Land also gave testimony on the legislation in February before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Prospects of winning this years-long battle by passing the legislation into law this Congress appear promising. The Senate HELP Committee passed S. 625 on Aug. 1, clearing it for a full Senate vote, likely this fall. The identical House bill could soon be reviewed by the Subcommittee on Health. The Senate bill currently has 52 cosponsors, while the House bill has 195.

The Southern Baptist Convention over the years has passed multiple resolutions decrying tobacco use and calling for its regulation. Most recently, in 2005, messengers to the Convention approved a resolution expressing the need for further efforts to reduce teen smoking.

Congress returns to formal business in Washington following Labor Day, making it important for people to visit their congressman and senators this week in their home districts and express their position on tobacco regulation. You can find out how to call or visit them in their home offices.

For more information on FDA regulation of tobacco:

Further Learning

Learn more about: Family, Children, Living, Health, Citizenship, Legislation

1 comments (post your own) feed

1 On Aug 28th, 2007, at 6:18pm, Travis Wilbanks wrote:

The only way to stop people from buying Tobacco products is to quit selling them.

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