Tobacco Documents Online

From the Surgeon General, US Public Health Service i Tobacco Contiul:As the former Sim geon General, the iasum Vist lie at the heart of tobacco contro availabil- ity,themarketing,thesale,: thedan- gets--®lleoncernmegreatlyN these issues most troubling when y per tain to our youth. And the ' of women, children, and mihority ups by the industry also troubles me. As a nation, wencedan action that.can help save millions of lives. plan must speak for our younger eh drea who have no say and no choice regardingtheirexposuretosecondhand smoke orihdustiy tactics. And the plan must give 5rst priority to protecting the health of nommwkers. During the past 3 yearss as Surgeon General, I traveled wadt to coast talk- ing about tobacco control. I have deter- mined that we must face-10 key chal- lenges if we are to gain control over tobacco use in this country: 1. We as physieiaosand.other health professionals must speak strongly with one voice and continually remind the public of the following. . Tobacco use is responsible for the prematuredeaths ofnearw one half miI- lion people every year in this country. . Smokingis the single mostprevent- able cause of death in our sooety,and it is oosting thiss nation plenty-over $65 billion peryear, more than a bi8ion dol- lan per week. . Tobacco is the only produdt that whenused as directed results in death and disability. 2. We must expose the seduction of ourchildren bythe tobacco industryand work proactively to counter its mes- sages.and techniques. More than one millioncluldren start to smoke in the United States every year-thatls 3090 per day. Ten percent of them Nart smok- ing by the fourth grade, and nearfy two thirds of them by the tenth grade. Each year, the tobacco indbstry gar- ners=1 million in profits from illegal sales of tobacco4o children.The upcom- ing Surgeon General's report on youth initiation of smoking will provide ample ammunition to wage this ongoing battle. 3. We must spur federal,.state, and local legislation that will limit minors' access to tobacco.,Each year, more than 3 million American children under the age of 18 years smoke 947 million pac of cigarettes. Although virtually states ban tobacco sales to minors, roany states have trou ble enforcing these laws, and only.Floridaand Vermomare known~ to enforce therru. 4. We must speak out against the se- BOB .1M.7A. AugusI 18. 1993--va 270. Nm. 7 duction of women by the tobacco indus- try and develop effective prevention messages to countertheibdusjry's mis- leading entieements: Sbme22 im7lion women in this oountryare smokers, and cigarette amoking prevalence amongad- olescents is about equal fur bochmales and.females-tietween 18%and 1 . In America toda_v,.more women di ~m o lung cancer caused by cigarette n(ak- ing than die from breast cance . Other than lung cancer, A erican women still have not fully un Lstood the consequences of smokfng at per- to them--oral, cerviat, tic, dbbddercancers,low-bhth eightin- coronaryheartdisease, stroke.. nmencontinue to exe their in- rights, we must a way to em glimpse the tru behind the our and sophis tion~in se- vertising and nt the un- ies~~.ofsmo g. talertthe blicaboutthe tobaoeosmoke nswhodon'E to endure the ke of others, is linked to the y 300o nonsmok- each year. The En- ion Agency'sdes- ~ des- h group Auman tronger regula- lic'ss health by blic places. widespread tobacco as a In 1991, op age eUS- n~e- ed di help false ductive healthy 5. We dangersof viromne (ETS).The . %ofour smokeshoul not h consequences especially whe death of approxi ers from lung can vironmental Pro ignation of ETS carcinogen will tions.to prote controlling a 6. We m use of smok "safe" about 7 mi and older the maju spite our, relation bacco dict p in control or "spit vetosmo on people 12 ed spit tobaa:o i of them~young ings and the d p between prolonged and oral cancer. Expe oral cancer epidemioin ecades if the current tren baceo use continue. e must recognize the impor[an ce in controllingtobaceo use, es ally amongyouth. The 1992 Surgeon eral's report estimated that for ev- ~ 10%increase.in the price of tobacco ~roducts, there will be.an approximate %.decrease in tobacco consumption. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that be- tween 1990 and 1991, adults 18 years of age and oldershowed no decline in smok- ingprevalencc the first year with no decrease.since 1965. Economic factors that may have contributed to this lev- eting include an increase in the avail- ability of discount cigarettes and a 10% annual inctease:in thealready morethan $4 billion spent on cigarette advertis- ing, rebates, tteesamples, two-packs- for-the-price-of-one offers,and discount coupons on cigarette rartons. The Coalition on Smoking OR Health has called for increasing the tobacco ex- cise tax by $2 per pack of cigarettes,, which will generate more than $20 bili lion in the lust year and is projected to result in close to, 8 million fewer smok- ets and 2 milkon.lives saved over time. We must ensure thatany increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes includes a tax increase on all tobacco products. After all, tobacco is tobacco-whether one chews it, spitss it, or smokes it. 8. We must document, assess, and change soc~ty's attitudes and practices regarding tobacco use, e9peciallywhere our children are concerned. We mus4 improve our ability to coBect infosma- tion om morbidity and mortality-and particularly on usage and public opin- ion-that is mmprehensive, gender-spe- cific, and cultu ral ly specific. Equally im- portant, we must evaluate information on the economics of the tobacco indus- try to u nderstand the pervasive role that tobacco plays in our economy. 9. We must strengthen and harnessthe tools that we do have in controlling tobacco: legislation, taxation, and indi- vidual and public health education. We also should consider changes in warning labels to provide updated, comprehen- sive information on the health risks as- sociated with use 4 tobacco products. 10. Personal involvement, in preven- tion andin control, must be our watch- words. We knoww the devastating con- sequences of tobacco use,.and'we know how the tobacco industry promotes its deadly product. We must insist thatthe tobacco industry operate as responsibly as.any other consumer product manu- facturer in this country. And we must become betterrole naodelsand the cFiam- pions of prevention if we are to succeed in increasing public awareness and in promoting public action. Bolstered with this action plan.and ed with scientific integrity and a pur- eful sense of direction, we can ensure ~ theindustry will not decide who the ne~ emokersand chewers will.bel by Antonia C.. Novello, 11fD, MPH Former Surgeon General aEnw'aada:FU~eivqu,e6m91'.bfYw.YEbWR 't~ .nreewcnNteaa.ycewanew.ose.am. _y~[{suqw, Ge,Wai. nmm ]~6.e IYmqr9y aWang„ yWp.,p~n. oC 2n4oi: rebpwro (2a2199h)i® ~ from the suqeon C+eneral. usaHs