Political Quotes

“I would like very much to thank my colleagues for coming to the floor and speaking to this issue, my colleagues from Connecticut, Senator Blumenthal; from Massachusetts, Senator Markey; and Senator Warren, also from Massachusetts. I must say that this topic of addiction to tobacco and tobacco products being targeted at our children is not one that is only relevant to one State or this State or that State, it affects children in rural America, in urban America, and in every State and corner of our Nation. So there is basically a universal impact. That is probably part of the reason the Senate came together, during a period in which there has been substantial dysfunction and substantial paralysis, and said, no, it is time to regulate these tobacco products as the drugs that they are, but during the 6 years since the bill was passed, we have had no regulation. So I appreciate my colleagues coming to the floor and trying to amplify the message that this is unacceptable, because children will be addicted, they will develop diseases, they will suffer, and they will die because of the inaction in putting the regulations forward. This is completely unacceptable. During this time, there have been a lot of experimental products put out by the tobacco industry. They have put out finely ground tobacco in the form of mints. They put them into hour glass-shaped candy holders so that when students would put them in our pockets, it would look like a cell phone.…”