Janice Schakowsky: “I thank the chairman for yielding. This certainly is an issue of consumer protection. I rise in support of this bill so…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding. This certainly is an issue of consumer protection. I rise in support of this bill so that we can take action to end the youth tobacco epidemic before it claims any more lives. Prohibiting flavors that attract youngsters across the board, we need to eliminate these flavors that are really the thing that attracts them the most. We can take that step to ensure that more youth do not get addicted to nicotine and tobacco. In addition to fruity flavors, menthol plays a significant role in attracting kids to cigarettes. By cooling and numbing the throat, menthol makes it easier to hook kids on smoking. Over half of all youth who smoke cigarettes smoke menthol cigarettes, compared to less than one-third of adult smokers. The NAACP, the National Medical Association, the Black Women's Health Imperative, and many other organizations are supporting this legislation and voicing their approval of the legislation. There is no public health justification for removing menthol tobacco products from the flavor prohibition in this bill. Big Tobacco is trying to divert our attention from that by raising questions of criminal justice that we have gone above and beyond to protect against in this bill. We don't want to create a whole new generation of people addicted to nicotine; that is the intention of the tobacco industry. Let's keep our focus and pass this legislation for our kids.”