In short, Mr. Chairman, this hearing comes at exactly the right time. It is an urgent need for our government to step in and protect our kids.
These marketing restrictions have contributed to a steep decline in cigarette smoking by youth.
If current smoking trends continue, 5.6 million American kids will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.
Well, in fact, that's exactly what the cigarette companies have been saying for 50 years.
It defies logic, it defies science, to say the same techniques, the same ads, won't have the same impact on our nation's...
These products are designed to appeal to youth, more accessible to youth, and are explicitly marketed to youth.
E-cigarettes are being marketed to children today just as cigarettes were 50 years ago.
Nicotine is addictive. It affects brain development.
There is little to no evidence to support these claims.
I want to thank the Chairman for his kind remarks and also my colleagues.
Although we have cut smoking rates in this country by half, today, we face a new threat--the rise of e-cigarettes.