Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I want to put into the Record the fact that the American Lung Association opposes the Bilbray amendment because it penalizes kids for the possession of tobacco products. Mr. Chairman, the American Lung Association opposes this because it is not an effective technique to reduce underage tobacco usage. The reality is that the compliance checks that are currently going on would be made illegal by this amendment. The Synar amendment on marketing tobacco to children could not be enforced because it would be illegal for supervised teens to attempt to purchase tobacco. This an attempt to put the blame on our children, the pawns of decades of sophisticated marketing by the tobacco industry, instead of manufacturers and retailers. It shifts the blame inappropriately. A study by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene discovered that 480 minors were penalized for possessing tobacco and no merchants were penalized. On July 16 and 21 of 1998, the American Lung Association conducted an undercover sting operation to determine whether teens could purchase tobacco in the U.S. Capitol complex. Five out of nine attempts were successful, and in the House office buildings all attempts were successful in the House office buildings. This is clear proof that existing laws regarding selling to teens are not being enforced. They need to be enforced first.”