Key Findings
The national report looks at four areas: Food and Drug Administration Regulation of Tobacco Products, Federal Cessation Policy, Cigarette Excise Tax and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
National Tobacco Control Policy
More than 12 million deaths have been caused by smoking since the first published surgeon general's report on smoking in 1964. Despite these staggering numbers, Congress has failed to garner the political will necessary to respond to this burgeoning epidemic. The United States needs a comprehensive national tobacco control policy. The American Lung Association supports federal action on the following policies:
Food and Drug Administration Regulation of Tobacco Products
The American Lung Association supports strong legislation that grants the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. Strong FDA regulatory authority would include the following elements: regulation of youth access and marketing of tobacco products; health information disclosure; requirement for tobacco products to meet a "public health" standard; disclosure of ingredients; effective health warnings; reduction or elimination of harmful components; authority to reduce or eliminate harmful components; and authority to review reduced risk health claims. Additional information on the FDA can be found in the "Critical Elements of Any Legislation To Grant FDA Authority To Regulate Tobacco Products" factsheet by clicking here.
The United States receives an F for FDA authority to regulate tobacco products. Despite the US Senate's passage of strong FDA legislation twice in 2004, the House of Representatives blocked the measure resulting in Congress once again failing to pass FDA legislation.
Federal Cessation Policy
The American Lung Association supports the recommendations laid out by Subcommittee on Cessation of the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health (ICSH) in the National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation. The plan proposed a well funded national quitline network, national media campaign, federal coverage of cessation benefits and a smokers' fund to assist people trying to quit. Currently close to forty-six million Americans smoke. 9 Seventy percent of smokers say that they want to quit.10
The United States receives an F for federal cessation policy as it has failed to implement the recommendations of ICSH.
Federal Cigarette Excise Tax
The American Lung Association supports the recommendations in the National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation to raise the federal cigarette excise tax by $2.00 per pack and earmark the funds to a smokers health fund to help smokers quit.
The United States receives an F for cigarette tax. The current federal excise tax is a meager $0.39 per pack.
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
The American Lung Association supports the rapid ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC is an international legal instrument that set standards that countries can adopt to control tobacco use and addiction. A full review of the FCTC and its treaty obligations can be found in PDF format by clicking here. (The data files are available in PDF format. To view and/or print the documents in Adobe® Acrobat® PDF file format, you need a copy of Acrobat® Reader. The software is free for download from Adobe Systems Incorporated.)
The United States receives a D for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. In May, the United States signed the convention but has yet to send it to the U.S. Senate for ratification. The treaty will not be in force until it is ratified by the U.S. Senate.
Key Findings Continued... |
