Frank Lautenberg: “We have to get on with the task of passing the $1.50-per-pack fee. I point out to you, Mr. President, and those who can…”

“We have to get on with the task of passing the $1.50-per-pack fee. I point out to you, Mr. President, and those who can see it, that the price of cigarettes in major industrial nations is quite a bit different than we have here in the United States: Norway, $6.82 a pack; Denmark, $5.10 a pack; United Kingdom, $4.40. Down we get to the U.S.A., with a current price of about $1.94. We know one thing, Mr. President. We have heard it in testimony and statements given by colleagues in the Chamber that the way to stop teen smoking most abruptly, to give them a jolt so that they will bolt, is to raise that price and raise it quickly and sufficiently. And $1.50 a pack will do it. With the $1.50 a pack, we can see substantial reductions in the number of those who start smoking. And I hope that when the votes are counted here, people will look and see how their Senators voted to see whether or not they are going to stay with the tobacco companies or whether they are going to stay with the families and protect the children who will be dependent upon tobacco in the future.”