[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 174 (Monday, November 6, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H11770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SMOKELESS TOBACCO CONSUMPTION AND REDUCTION AND EDUCATION ACT OF 1995

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Colorado [Mrs. Schroeder] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, today I just want to notify my 
colleagues that I am reintroducing a bill that addresses a very serious 
public health crisis. That is the growing number of especially 
adolescents and children who are using smokeless tobacco. This bill 
would hopefully begin to deter the smokeless tobacco industry by 
raising the Federal excise tax to at least the level of that on 
cigarettes. We are seeing children being targeted constantly in 
commercials by all sorts of popular figures, trying to lure them into 
snuff and chewing tobacco, and saying it is a safe alternative.
  Let me just point out to parents and so many people, this is not a 
safe alternative, and in fact, some of the health consequences of 
smokeless tobacco are even more immediate than that of cigarettes. In 
fact, evidence shows that smokeless tobacco contains 2 to 3 times the 
amount of nicotine that cigarettes have, and that people become much 
more subjected to addiction than with cigarettes.
  What the users are at such health risk for is developing gum, tongue, 
cheek, larynx, and other oral cancers. Can you imagine anything worse? 
Every year some 29,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancers, and 
8,000 people die of it; 75 percent of those are attributed to the use 
of smokeless tobacco or cigarettes.
  Mr. Speaker, I take this well to say I as a parent get so tired of 
people seeing children and adolescents solely as consumers, and that if 
you can lure them in and tell them these things are cool, it only helps 
your profit and loss statement.
  I think it is time we as lawmakers, and all of us in this country, 
join to say that these children are our future and we should not allow 
profits to get in the way, luring them in to be consumers, to getting 
them addicted to nicotine, and to getting them into habits that will 
haunt them the whole rest of their life.
  Mr. Speaker, adolescents develop the habits that they are going to 
have with them the whole rest of their life during this period. They 
are terribly vulnerable, they are terribly vulnerable to peer pressure. 
I think to say that this is a safe alternative and to allow this to 
continue is wrong.
  I thank the cosponsors who are joining with me. I hope many others 
join with me, and I hope we can begin to attack one more group that is 
out there preying on our children and going after their pocketbooks for 
their own aggrandizement.
  Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing a bill that addresses a severe 
public health crisis--the growing number of people, especially 
adolescents and children, who are using smokeless tobacco. This bill 
would deter smokeless tobacco use by raising the Federal excise tax on 
snuff and chewing tobacco to that of cigarettes. It would also create a 
trust fund to educate the American public about the health effects of 
using smokeless tobacco.
  While cigarette use has been declining for the past 7 years, the use 
of smokeless tobacco has risen for the fourth year in a row. In fact, 
since 1972, the number of users has tripled. Smokeless tobacco is now 
the only tobacco product for which consumption is increasing. More than 
10 million Americans use snuff and chewing tobacco, and, sadly, 3 
million of those users are under the age of 21. Statistics show that 
more than 35 percent of high school boys are occasional or frequent 
users. What is worse, the average smokeless tobacco user starts his or 
her habit at age 9; 25 percent of users start by age 5.
  Smokeless tobacco marketers are smart, engaging in intense and well-
funded marketing efforts. They target young males with visions of 
sports fame and rugged masculinity. They ease adolescents into their 
habit with snuff flavored with mint and cherry.
  Most importantly, the health consequences of smokeless tobacco are 
even more immediate than that of cigarettes. Evidence shows that 
smokeless tobacco contains 2 to 3 times more nicotine than cigarettes, 
making snuff users more susceptible to addiction than smokers.
  Users are at a serious risk of developing gum, tongue, cheek, 
pharynx, and other oral cancers and of developing cancers of the larynx 
and esophagus. Some 29,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer a year 
and 8,000 people die of it--75 percent of those cases are attributed to 
the use of smokeless tobacco or cigarettes.
  Children and adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are at a special 
risk of damage to teeth, gums, and bone tissues. Nicotine and other 
carcinogenic substances absorbed from smokeless tobacco use can 
aggravate human illness in progress and accelerate the development of 
coronary artery disease and hypertension.
  Ten percent of the revenue generated by my bill will be placed into a 
trust fund for programs to educate the public of these health risks and 
for other programs to reduce consumption. Higher taxes and an 
educational trust are one step toward helping kids kick the habit. Join 
with me in protecting America's youth.

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