Udall Celebrates Obama Signing Tobacco Control Bill into Law

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., today applauded President Barack Obama for signing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law. As New Mexico Attorney General, Udall successfully sued the tobacco industry and in Congress has been a strong proponent of legislation to allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products. Click here to see his speech from the Senate floor, urging passage of this bill.

"After more than a decade of fighting to protect children from tobacco," said Udall, "I am pleased that this law paves the way for commonsense regulation of this dangerous product."

As New Mexico's Attorney General, Udall helped lead a lawsuit in 1997 that attempted to recoup smoking-related costs for the state's Medicaid program. New Mexico and 45 other states settled that lawsuit in 1998 for more than $200 billion and an agreement by most large tobacco companies to stop marketing to children and to abide by certain other restrictions. That master settlement agreement is the largest in U.S. history.

Said Udall, "As New Mexico's Attorney General, I fought the tobacco industry in the courts. In Congress, I fought to hold them accountable and curb their worst practices. Now, I am pleased that the FDA will finally have the authority to protect the American people from the deceptive and corrupt practices these companies have engaged in for decades."

The FDA currently has authority to regulate tobacco cessation devices. It has extensive experience controlling ingredients in food and medicines and in monitoring marketing practices.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, tobacco has taken a toll on New Mexico. For example:

· Nearly one quarter (24.2 percent) of New Mexico high school students smoke.
· 7,700 New Mexico kids smoke their first cigarette every year.
· 103,000 New Mexico kids are exposed to second hand smoke at home.
· 2,100 New Mexicans die each year from their own smoking, and 320 New Mexico nonsmokers die from exposure to second-hand smoke.
· New Mexicans pay nearly $500 million each year in expenditures caused by tobacco use.

The tobacco industry has spent years marketing and selling their product to Americans, nearly completely unregulated. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gives the FDA the regulatory authority to curb youth smoking, help current smokers quit and stop the tobacco industry from misleading the public with their advertisements.

Signing this legislation into law authorizes the FDA to:
· Regulate Tobacco Products,
· Restrict the Sale, Distribution and Advertising of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco,
· Prevent the Sale of Tobacco Products to Youth,
· Require Stronger Warning Labels,
· Stop Future Misrepresentation of Tobacco Products ,
· Remove Hazardous Ingredients in Tobacco, and
· Set Standards for "Lower Risk" Products like "Low-Tar" Cigarettes.