Tobacco Documents Online

+ . ~~AT Uward M.ACelfHedy n O "[`.`3i!=2 i ' . . . lP..,.. , JJ,t~I~~ ,. ~ . :.,. . "t '.t . .. . OPENING STATEMENT OF'SENATOR'.EDNARD M. [ENNEDY ~ " AT A HEARING ON.DETERRING CHILDHOOD SMOKING n4A i~ssaclausFffS' : a ~ cfa~C.a~. ,... .,.. !'For Immediate. Release May 2'S, 1978I .,_ IToday the Subcommittee on Health.and.Scientific Research opens hearings on.S., 3115, the National Di.sease. Prevent'zon and Health - Promotion Act of.19'78,: which I introduced last week.with the co.sponsor- 'shipof several of my colleagues... This legislation:proposes a.series' of programs:.which would provide our nation for the first ti~me.in its : history:with.a.eomprehensive strategy forr the prevention of disease and the:promotion of health among our citizens. Today's session focusess on.theprovisions..of'S. 3115 which relate to ci'garettesmoking.,,and particularly, on provisions for deterring.,smokingamong m,,. ~>,:,.r.en• . . . . . ,.. . ' Over the years~th3s Subcommittee:has.heard.testimonyon Millions of:parents.in this country -- and I count.myselfamong them -- wish for oneth~ing, above all.others. They hope that their children's phys3cali health will permit them to realize their full potential as ~> . human beinga, ....~;. . .-.-:-' . <,..,::,,- :,. ... .. . _3 hundred's.ofheal'ths issues:„ but none has more:personal relevance to me, 04 disturbs me:more deeply, than the topic on which we:focus today. hopesmay never be realized. They are endangered not by war or by . , disease, but by an epidemic of another sort. . • +'- For manyAmericanparents.:and for many of our children, those,e . . . . ..., ~~r ` From.1968 to ~1974,,~there was~~ an.eightfoSd increase~.in~the~~ teenageboys who.smoke has s:tayed more or Aess unchanged -- but at a. : ._disturbing..31..percent. ' ~..... ~^..,.~~:..~ ... . :~`:. . . '..°pack.of cigarettesa d'ay hass tripled. Fortunately, the percentage.:of , -:,Among teenage girls who smoke, the percentage consuming more than a~ number of 12:to 14 year old girls who smoke cigarettes. During that ~ timey the number ofgirls.agedi1i5, and 1fiwhosmoke more than doubled'.,, . « - ., P Unless they find theinner strengthh to, quit, many of these young peoplie will die:.prematurely, and their declining.years will bemarred.by chronic,, debilitating disease:. on'average, thee ear.lier.they start smokinig„ theishorter the.ir.lives will be.. If they begin at age 16, . and smoke a.paek a day, they will die on average siz years earlier than tke3r.non-smoking:friends. They will suffer more cancer of the ~'lun.g:, mouth,, throat, bladder andipancreas. They will contract more emphysema, bronchitis and.vasculan disease. They will have more.heart attacks and'more ulcers. . .. -. Our society is watching the makings of.a health care eatastroph. We are:watchingoux children mortgage their health to a.habit.which has no.redeeming social value.other than the income.it generates:for a very small proportion ofour people. In thelegislation we introd'uced.last week„ there.are.a number of provisions aimed at.discouraging.adults from smoking or.encouraging them.to~ use.eiigarettes.which are lesshazardous'.. Such.programs are ..

yy,,4W~ <, important, but the real pliacetostart i's at th,e.beginning. Deterring children.from smoking must beour'highest.priority in dealing with submitted his viewsfor this hearing. Ithin~k oneof these.di~stinguishe gentlemen, Dr. Renato Dulbecco,accurateiy summarized the bulk of this testimony when.he: said: "I have.careful3yreviewed.aI1 of the available evidenceand amfully convinced that cigarette smoking isthe cause of90percent of'lung cancer.Doubts have been raised from' time to'time but have no scientific validity...^' .,. testimony on the scientific issues'.involved in the smoking debate.. - We heard:from three' nobel,Laureates at that time; and a'fourth has or occupational'hazards explain the irrefutab:le increase in death and disability amcngg smokers. In 1976, this. Subcommittee heard extensive to ealth, that the data is n~ot conclu•stve, that other environmental ~zfI ' It willbe.argued'that cigerette smoking.is not truly hazardous 1Ft' h cigarette' smoking in this country.. It will also tie.arguedthat, regardless of the evidence' problem. The federal government;,some' wil.l say„ has no role Lnn discouraging', cigarettesmoking, among children. . . - ' .`concernimg the health hazardss of ciyarettes, smoking.is a parental I am the'fi~rst.to agree:that thesmoking.habitsof childrenn their children from smoking. First, the-government helps in'countliess other ways to protect the health of children.: We put fences.alongr.ailrosd!tracks and the sides.of bridges. Wee require childproof Didsfor drug,containers.. We provide foo& for those with.no.other resources.. are primarily the responsibility of their parents, but I.still seea clear role for government in help:.ing-those parents who wish.to,keep . programs forblunting the epidemic.of chi~ldhood smoking~.g in this from today, we can organizeeffectirve,e acceptable and non-coercive -`" - "' Today'-we will explore the phenomenon of childhood smoking, andl we will examine.some potential strategiesfor'dealing,with it. I am confident that with~the help of:thekind of witnesses we.wi:Il hear spends.over3:400million a yearr advertising its product,: there is ample justification'for government involvement in balaneing,the: informational scale, a . . ~a^a!'. ~ y ;.t, . r s=t1 iy. _.... .t~S . .. .,. . ~. ofthef hazards of cigarett:e' smoking. As longas~ the tobac¢o industry' certain that parentsand children receive.a fair. and fui'1.picture - ' Secondly,, the federal.government hass the obligation toe make ~:f io aw~+f,d. Jea 6ara3:a.P;io eiR Krs"'C botlfsar% nd tsven Mat^t z9nnt+:. six d'aysago;, we.invited the. Tobacco Institute.and several tobacco`ncompanies to appear at thissession. They informed us that this was not sufficient warning,, and that they could not find'a single individual fvom~.theInstitute or from.any'ofthecompanies who could appear Before proceeding„ p woulti like to.express my'regretthat the-. tobacco industrywas.unable to'.providea witnessto represent its point of.view at this morning's hearing.- When S., S11'S was introduced nd Pti?a'sYntr enx:.tiaar 7.T '_sn. "that we wanted them to attend. ? ~~.:e.7~. q _c.,p te- `3;iJ'~bl ZV±:...t_ ~ :.U.~.. ., ustoday are several who.were not.told.until three or four daysago' today. Iwouid only poimt.out that among,the witnesses we havewitti .( 636~ ?a n'.iC^s.~ Y9d1 2I ..u~ r A. ~ .. ' i •-i' ~~ +StaiY+a¢ a:J Y:.,..,.'rT4A ~ 76tITap Z._U3'i, X1~z . .- . ~!''. .. ' Ys;iY .. 3~ •a. : . ~ e.1'~.SI }e ~ar :..: 7~ : iC~:.'!. .=.et , .~.._. .