FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/Sep. 5, 1996 CONTACT: Sara Foer [202/651-7023] Statement on FDA Tobacco Regulationsby Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, President, American Nurses AssociationSeptember 5, 1996The American Nurses Association (ANA) praises the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule President Clinton signed August 23, 1996, to curb tobacco use by children and adolescents. Since the 1960s when the Surgeon General's report about the dangers of smoking was released, the ANA has vigorously supported policies that discourage cigarette smoking, particularly among young people. ANA has adopted the Surgeon General's goal of a smoke free society by the year 2000, has actively supported anti-tobacco legislation at the state and federal levels, called for nurses to offer assistance to smokers at every point of contact, and asked nurses to serve as role models in their work places and communities by not smoking. It is appalling that tobacco, which leads to disease and death, is the only consumer product that is not regulated for health and safety purpose. And, it is even more alarming that it has taken so long to have such an important national policy measure introduced to protect one of society's most vulnerable populations: our children. Perhaps one of the cruelest tragedies is that America's youth continue to start to smoke at an alarming rate despite the well-documented dangers of smoking. Teen smoking is at an all-time high, with smoking among youth in grades 9 through 12 increasing from 27 percent in 1991 to 35 percent in 1995 and the average age of today's young smoker is 14. Further, each day, another 3,000 young persons begin smoking - that's more than 1 million each year -- and one-third of our youth will die as a result of this addiction. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Smoking is responsible for one out of every five deaths in the United States. Cigarettes kill more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined. Each year there are approximately 390,000 deaths from cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, and cerebral vascular accidents -- all in part, as a result of smoking. Passive smoking, or second-hand smoke, is now believed to be responsible for close to 4000 non-smoker deaths each year from lung cancer. Parent and other household members' smoking is directly linked to chronic ear infections and respiratory problems in infant children. To discourage tobacco use among young people and prevent an increase in death and disease from this addiction, we must reduce access to these products and increase the availability of prevention and education programs. President Clinton has shown his strong resolve to do that by working toward restricting cigarette advertising and by backing the FDA's plan to regulate tobacco products as drug delivery devices. The new FDA rule will help our youth lead smoke-free lives because there is a 90 percent chance that our youth will refrain from smoking if they do not pick up a cigarette before age 19. It is ANA's hope, and those of the other members of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, that this rule will be the straw that breaks Joe Camel's back and thwart the efforts of tobacco companies to compete for new, young smokers, who should have their entire lives ahead of them, but with one puff a lifetime of suffering can be ignited. As nurses, our commitment to this issue is so fervent because we see firsthand the health consequences of tobacco use. Nurses also believe that prevention is the cornerstone of any health care system designed to reduce costs and human suffering. The scientific evidence is compelling, the choices are clear. To protect our children, Congress must support initiatives and actions -- like the FDA rule -- that will safeguard their futures as contributing members of society.
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