Thomas Daschle: “the debate on tobacco legislation that we will begin again at 10 o'clock this morning is one of the most significant in…”

“the debate on tobacco legislation that we will begin again at 10 o'clock this morning is one of the most significant in which any of us will ever be involved. Smoking is, in the words of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, ``the chief, single avoidable cause of death in our society, and the most important public health issue of our time.'' Every year, tobacco kills more than 400,000 Americans--accounting for more than one out of every five deaths in our country. Smoking kills more people than die from AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides and fires--combined. So often, when we hear that someone has died as a result of smoking, we think, ``That was their choice. They were adults.'' But chances are, they were not adults when they made the decision to pick up that first cigarette. Ninety percent of adult smokers started smoking at or before the age of 18--before they were even old enough to buy cigarettes legally. The average youth smoker starts smoking at 13, and is addicted by the time he or she is 14. One out of every three of those children will eventually die from smoking. It may take another 20 or 30--or even 50--years until that decision catches up with them. But the decision is made when they are children. That is what this debate is really about. Are we willing, as a nation, to protect our children from an epidemic that may eventually kill them? During the first half of this century, another epidemic threatened America's children: polio.…”