Lincoln Chafee: “over the course of the next month or two, the Senate will have the opportunity to debate how best to address the most…”

“over the course of the next month or two, the Senate will have the opportunity to debate how best to address the most significant, preventable public health problem confronting this nation today: the scourge of tobacco use by our young people. The Senate will face some difficult choices in this regard. The grim statistics about this epidemic, coupled with almost daily revelations of tobacco industry misdeeds, underscore the need for our earnest action. We can all agree, where adults are concerned personal responsibility must be the rule; tobacco is a legal product and adults are free to make that choice. However, the same level of independent judgment cannot be said where fourteen year-olds are concerned. Bear in mind, only one in ten smokers takes up smoking after the age of eighteen; the remainder start well before that stage. All of us--Democrats and Republicans--share a deep and abiding concern about this problem, and a recognition that now is the time for action. However, each of us has different thoughts on how best to attack this problem. The Commerce Committee draft bill offers a good beginning, but it must be strengthened. Senators Harkin, Graham and I believe that an aggressive, but responsible approach is essential if we are to be successful in reducing teen tobacco use. This is why the KIDS Act would force the price of cigarettes up by $1.50 over the course of two--not four, five or six--years.”