Tobacco Documents Online

Testimony of Charles A. LeMaistre, M.D. On Behalf of the Coalition on Smoking OR Health Before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources United States Senate March 165, 1982 f TIMN 216839

f , Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am Dr. Charles A. LeMaistre, President of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute. I testify in support of S.1929 on behalf of the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American Lung Association and 27 other health education and youth leadership groups -.the newly organized, Coalition on Smoking OR Health. Our nation's most prestigious agencies have banded together here in Washington and throughout the nation out of concern for the tragic consequences to Americans of smoking. A statement describing the coalition's blueprint for action in the cause of smoking prevention education is submitted for your record. Because of the uniting of the concerned private sector under the banner of the coalition and the tremendous public impact of the most recent surgeon general's report on The Health Consequences of Smoking, the legislation before this committee could not be more timely. In particular, we commend the thrust of S.1929 to provide information not now available to the American public on the health consequences of smoking and thereby improve the ability to make an informed choice on the decision to smoke or not to smoke. These decisions, especially those to be made by younger Americans,are of critical importance to the health of our nation. TIMN 216840

s t -2- The consequences of past poorly informed decisions are quite familiar: - 340,000 premature American deaths each year due to smoking, - health injury due to smoking to 10 million Americans, and, - a cost to the American public of $41 billion in medical care expenditures and lost economic productivity. Can there by any question about the stark fact that cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of illness and the single most preventable cause of death in the United States? Thirty thousand studies link cigarette smoking to illness; six surgeon generals have repeatedly documented the overwhelming scientific evidence that cigarette smoking causes cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, urinary bladder, mouth and pancreas, that cigarette smoking causes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, that cigarette smoking is associated with retarded fetal growth and increased risk for miscarriage and prenatal death. Even so, the message is still not reaching many Americans. 54 million living Americans have already made the decision to smoke cigarettes and continue to smoke today. They are destined to become tomorrow's medical statistics and economic loss. Tragically, a substantial number of Americans are still not fully aware of the dangers of smoking, and take up the habit ignorant of the facts. If the 54 f TIMN 216841

c -3- million Americans had never taken up the habit approximately 30% of all cancer would not occur, and cardiovascular and pulmonary disease would have their toll substantially lessened. The provisions of S.1929 for rotational warning labels is a key element for making available to the American public brief, direct and fresh factual information necessary for informed decision- making. The present warning label has lost its effectiveness due to its generalized message and sameness over the years. Perhaps the most important provision is that which would make it unlawful to manufacture, import or package for sale any cigarettes without disclosure of all chemicalsand substances used in production. For reasons that the non-smoking majority of Americans find hard to understand, cigarettes remain one of the few substances consumed internally which are exempt from full disclosure of ingredients. Yet the facts are clear: cigarettes are burned and the products inhaled and taken internally with the result being the designation of cigarettes as the single most preventable cause of illness. Mr. Chairman, it seems certain that the disclosure provisions requiring full disclosure of ingredients including flavoring additives will be attacked as excessive regulation or paternalistic. Quite the opposite has been true as history clearly reveals: TIMN 216842

-4- The Food and Drug Administration has neatly avoided responsibility by ruling that tobacco and tobacco products are neither 'foods' nor 'drugs' and therefore not subject to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Acts. The Consumer Product Safety Act specifically exempts by statute tobacco and tobacco products from the regulations of the Act. The Federal Hazardous Substances Act exempts tobacco and tobacco products from the hazardous product provisions of the Act. The Toxic Substances Act does not provide for tobacco and tobacco products regulation. One might more properly raise the question: why the special treatment of these dangerous substances, tobacco and tobacco products? Mr. Chairman, the opportunity for responsible, voluntary disclosure has been present for many years. The only feasible course left is for Congress to require these disclosure provisions in view of the overwhelming evidence that tobacco and tobacco products are not only harmful, but life threatening. , TIMN 216843

c -5- The provision of statutory authority for the Office of Smoking and Health is commendable and will provide the public with both facts and documented evidence. Equally important,this provision will ensure the continued monitoring of the voluminous data on smoking and health trends. The sustaining of these functions through stability of the Office of Smoking and Health is considered an essential first step in the preparation of Americans to make informed decisions about smoking. Mr. Chairman, this legislation seeks only to provide the con- sumer with information that the consumer has every right to know. We commend the passage of S.1929 to assure that the consumer receives the needed information on the tragic consequences of cigarette smoking. The Coalition on Smoking OR Health and the millions of volunteers these citizen groups represent, stand ready to work closely with the Congress and government at all levels to see that information on the hazards of smoking reaches all segments of the American public. ! TIMN 216844