APHA Applauds Introduction of Historic Tobacco Control Legislation

Washington, D.C., May 20, 2004 —The American Public Health Association (APHA) today applauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation in both the House and Senate to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) long-overdue authority to regulate tobacco products.

“APHA adopted a policy resolution in 1929 supporting regulatory authority over tobacco for the FDA and we have been advocating for it ever since,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Now, 75 years later, we have bipartisan legislation in both houses of Congress and there is simply no excuse not to get this done.”

The legislation introduced today by Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Tom Davis (R-VA) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), grants the FDA effective authority to: protect children from tobacco marketing and illegal sales; require changes in tobacco products to make them less harmful; prohibit unsubstantiated health claims; and ensure that American’s are informed about the contents of tobacco products and adequately warned about the health risks.

“Senators DeWine and Kennedy and Representatives Davis and Waxman are to be commended for their leadership and their commitment to this issue,” said Benjamin. “We look forward to working with these leaders and others in Congress to ensure that FDA is provided the muscle it needs to protect public health and save lives.”