Tobacco Documents Online

AllG 1 4 'rGE ARIZONA REPUBLIC AUG 1 31995. Clintm also put Congress on tne it to I ti 1 tn balltn e t l s i Clinton's blowing smoke W HAT''an the cokmoaoa over president Qinton's decision to .t~se beavy-banded federal rtgu- tationa to curb tobacco use among teens? It's better to understand what it isn't. It isn't what voters said they wanted last November ~rhes they seat represeata- tives to washit~ott to fight the CIinton penchant for bigger gov- ernment. It isn't the best solution to a health problem with poeentially devastating personal im- plicatiotts. Federal gov- ernment intervention rarely is. There is no reason to believe Wasb- ington can reve:se teen- age s okin habits. Ou ~tsbition - the tobacco iadustry's worttT- mi~lt not even do that. But there is every reason to be- lieve the feds will waste a lot of money trying. It isn't the gutsy politicai mo~e White House aides suggest it is. This is a part of the Clinton retlectioo stat- epr that holds few ne¢ tives. He might lose a few votes in • some Southern tobacco statm. but be misht win pmts from a general public that bas arartmd up a good batred for a arett What camrnaaity daean't have some son of anti-taoldns ordinance? 'I]ie praideM's directive to the Food and Drug 'Admiaistration to restrict tobacco ads and acceaa to cigarettes for the sake of children gives him the _?portunity to look as if he is standing up to the unpopular tobacco iaductry. Clear_ away the political amoke and it's easy to tiee that what he bas actually done is initiate a legal battle that will Iast far beyond next yeat's ptesidential eiection. Already, five major U.S. ci;arette maau- facturers have SIed a lawsuit 'to try to block the pcopoaed regulations. g aac s ve y po , c g egu wrhtd be proposes by executive order. Corgress always has protected the SS0 billion tobacco industry, politically and financially. It. now faces the_ prospect of goiutg out on a limb to fight tbe president over a bad habit, or passing unprecedented laws to force tobacco make:s to be more respoosible in peddling their addicting wa>IYs. The FDA is drawing up regulations that will, among other things, force young pebple to prove their age when_they buy smoke:; restrict access or ban cigarette vending mc hines; restrict the placxment of cigarette adrertising around aeh4)ols; and force the Tobacco industry to fr nance an anaual 5150 million anti-amokin g campaign aimed at teerts. Clinton says volun- tary efforts by the indus- try to curb teea smoking ardt't good enough. He dtes statistia that show olncx 1991 there has beert a 30 Qerce:~t in- craLse in eighth-grade smokers and a 22 per- cent increase in 10tb- graders. No one should tak: this news lightly, not even the tobacco indastry, which colletzs an estimated $1 billion froia sales to minots. But is this a prob- tem for the federal government, especially when there are already so many lightly enforeed laws on the books prohibiting tolaaoco sales to minors? The responsibility for teaching chil- drx the pitfal)s of nicotine addiction resta pr.xnarily with parentt. That's not to my tb-ry don't need help, which is where an extensive tobacco-industry sponsored edn- ca;ion campaign aimed at children and rel.aikrs who sell tobacco products would be produetsve- Tie the campaign to federal subsidies or other political considerauons if voluntary compiiance doesn't goad accountability. Let's clear the air. The commotion over the president's tobacco industry rettulations is about making political bay. Jc',i about more of the same kind of _S*vernnuat that his proven to be w.ste5tj, ineffective and sometimes uncon- adiutioasL ICa.omething .vc don't need.