Karen Bass: “I am here to rise in support of the Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act and to speak…”

“I am here to rise in support of the Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act and to speak in opposition to the motion to recommit. I am concerned that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are confused about what the discussion is about today, so I rise in opposition. The real issue here is about a dying industry that is in need of a new market, a new generation of smokers, because the national movement that fought to protect the health of the public from the adverse consequences of tobacco has successfully reduced smoking and driven the industry overseas to sell its product. In 1988, California was one of the first States that voted to raise taxes on cigarettes and dedicated some of the revenue to creating statewide antismoking programs and campaigns to help people break addiction to tobacco. Public health researchers correctly identified the correlation between the marketing practices of the industry, accessibility of product, and levels of addiction. Some of you might remember Joe Camel, a cartoon character that made smoking look fun and innocent. Why would an industry whose product was only for adult use use a cartoon character to market its product? After lawsuits, the industry agreed to stop using cartoon imagery. Before Joe Camel, depending on how old you are, you might remember candy cigarettes.…”