[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3628 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3628

            To prohibit the importation of bidi cigarettes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 10, 2000

  Mr. Gallegly (for himself and Mr. Hansen) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
            To prohibit the importation of bidi cigarettes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) 430,000 people die every year from tobacco use.
            (2) Medical expenses from treating smoking-related diseases 
        cost the United States economy $89,000,000,000 annually.
            (3) 6,000 children try smoking every day, half of whom will 
        become daily smokers.
            (4) Almost 90 percent of current adult smokers began at or 
        before the legal age of 18.
            (5) 1 in 3 children who begin smoking now will eventually 
        die from smoking-related diseases.
            (6) Studies have shown that the earlier an individual 
        begins smoking, the more likely it is that he or she will 
        become addicted.
            (7) Studies indicate that bidi cigarettes manufactured with 
        flavors, such as strawberry, chocolate, mandarin orange, 
        vanilla, grape, lemon-lime, clove, mint, cinnamon, wild cherry, 
        mango, cardamom, licorice, and raspberry, are more likely to 
        induce children to smoke.
            (8) Smoking among adults has been decreasing in recent 
        years, but smoking among youth remains at historically high 
        levels, a situation which bidi cigarettes could exacerbate.
            (9) Studies show that bidi cigarettes are more likely to be 
        sold illegally to youth and without required warning labels.
            (10) Because of similar appearance to marijuana cigarettes, 
        bidi cigarettes are considered to be a more likely ``gateway 
        drug'', and could lead to more children using illegal drugs.
            (11) Bidi cigarettes generally deliver 3 to 8 times more 
        nicotine, and are therefore more addicting than conventional 
        United States filtered cigarettes.
            (12) Smokers of bidi cigarettes show an increased risk of 
        coronary heart disease and cancers of the mouth, pharynx and 
        larynx, esophagus, stomach, and liver.
            (13) Bidi cigarettes contain 3 times more carbon monoxide 
        and 5 times more tar, as well as higher levels of phenol, 
        ammonia, nitrosamines, and hydrogen cyanide, than conventional 
        United States filtered cigarettes.
            (14) Attorneys General from all 50 States and the United 
        States Virgin Islands have urged the Federal Government to take 
        action to stop the importation of bidi cigarettes.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON IMPORTATION OF BIDI CIGARETTES.

    No bidi cigarettes may be imported into the United States.

SEC. 3. BIDI CIGARETTE DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``bidi cigarette'' means a product that--
            (1) contains tobacco that is wrapped in temburni or tendu 
        leaf, or that is wrapped in any other material identified by 
        the Secretary of the Treasury because the material is similar 
        in appearance or other characteristics to the temburni or tendu 
        leaf; and
            (2) does not contain a smoke filtering device.
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