CONGRESSWOMAN HIRONO VOTES TO SUPPORT BILL AIMED AT DRAMATICALLY REDUCING UNDERAGE SMOKING
H.R. 1108 Grants FDA Authority to Regulate Tobacco Products
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai’i) voted today in favor of H.R. 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The bipartisan piece of legislation advanced out of the House by a vote of 326 to 102.
H.R. 1108 gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacturing, advertising, and marketing of tobacco products, which includes the power to place restrictions on tobacco marketing campaigns. The bill also requires larger, more specific health warning labels on all tobacco products.
One major thrust behind the bill is the continuing effort to reduce the number of underage smokers in the United States. Congresswoman Hirono recently met with Brandon Antonius, a senior at Kihei Public Charter High School (Maui) and Alex Halley, a sophomore at Baldwin High School (Maui), who felt strongly enough about this cause to travel to Washington D.C. and state their cases.
Picture on the left: Brandon Antonius (left wearing red tie), Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono, and Alex Halley meet in front of the Congresswoman’s Washington D.C. Office to discuss the merits of H.R. 1108.
“Alex and Brandon emphasized the need for FDA regulation of tobacco because of the intense promotion of candy-flavored products geared toward children,” said Hirono. “As an example of this exploitive marketing technique, they showed me a colorful tin of Camel’s Kauai Kolada flavored cigarettes. While this particular product is off the market now, thanks in large part to the work of Hawai’i’s residents and public officials like the late Mayor of Kauai Bryan Baptiste, there are many others that have taken its place. Such manipulation of our children must end.”
In that effort, H.R. 1108 also reinstates a 1996 FDA rule that includes several provisions such as:
1) banning all outdoor tobacco advertising within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds
2) banning all remaining tobacco-brand sponsorships of sporting and entertainment events
3) restricting vending machines and self-service displays to adult-only facilities
4) requiring retailers to verify age for all over-the-counter sales and providing for federal enforcement and penalties against retailers who sell tobacco products to minors.
H.R. 1108 now goes before the U.S. Senate for consideration.
Picture on the right: Brandon Antonius (left wearing red tie), Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono, and Alex Halley meet in Washington D.C. as the Congresswoman inspects a Camel Cigarettes Kauai Kolada tin.
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