[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2434-S2435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN LEGACY FOUNDATION

   Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to rise today, 
recognizing the fifth anniversary of the American Legacy Foundation, an 
organization dedicated to educating Americans on the dangers of tobacco 
use.
  In 1964, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service 
officially recognized that cigarette smoking

[[Page S2435]]

causes cancer and other serious diseases. However, 40 years later, 
tobacco use remains the Nation's leading preventable cause of death. 
Tragically, tobacco use continues to affect the lives of millions of 
Americans, particularly plaguing our Nation's young people. Each year, 
smoking kills more than 440,000 people in the United States, and 
millions more suffer from serious tobacco-related illnesses.
  Established in 1999 under the Master Settlement Agreement, the 
American Legacy Foundation has developed national programs that address 
the health effects of tobacco use. Tobacco prevention programs play a 
vital role in decreasing tobacco use among youth, and the Legacy 
Foundation's innovative antismoking campaigns have had a significant 
impact in reducing tobacco use, especially among our Nation's youth. As 
a result of their continuous dedication, millions of Americans are 
living healthier lives.
  Unfortunately, the future of the American Legacy Foundation is in 
question. This year the foundation received its last payment from the 
Master Settlement Agreement. Because of this dramatic reduction of 
resources, all of the successes of the last 5 years are in jeopardy.
  I am pleased to stand here, recognizing the achievements of the 
American Legacy Foundation. I know that my fellow colleagues will join 
with me in applauding the efforts of the Legacy Foundation and 
congratulating them on their fifth anniversary. I hope that they will 
also join with me in pledging continued support for this life-saving 
cause. Only with such concerted action can we avert millions of 
premature deaths and prevent future generations of young people from 
falling victim to the tobacco epidemic.

                          ____________________