Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 14, 1994 TAG: 9409150016
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The report by the prestigious Institute of Medicine was strong support for the Food and Drug Administration's plan to curb the tobacco industry.
``Tobacco needs supervision and regulation right away,'' said Dr. Paul Torrens, a University of California at Los Angeles professor who co-wrote the report. ``This is a dangerous, addictive substance that is widely and freely available to teen-agers around this country.''
The government says more than 400,000 Americans die each year from diseases attributed to smoking - and 70 percent of smokers start before age 18. Anti-smokers and government scientists say as many as 3,000 teen-agers a day become regular smokers, hooked on nicotine after experimenting with just a few cigarettes.
The Institute of Medicine spent 18 months studying how to battle teen smoking and concluded that school education programs and state laws prohibiting tobacco sales to youths simply aren't enough.
The scientists said an aggressive plan to reduce teen access to and awareness of tobacco is the only solution - led by a Public Health Service agency, probably FDA, that would strictly regulate tobacco and limit the nicotine allowed in cigarettes.
The FDA already is considering doing just that, and has asked outside scientists to determine at what level nicotine becomes addictive. Despite a barrage of cigarette company ads to the contrary, FDA Commissioner David Kessler insists the plan won't outlaw tobacco.
The Institute of Medicine doesn't want a ban either.
``We are not prohibitionists, we are not banning cigarettes,'' Torrens said. ``We are simply saying children should be protected from addictive substances.''
``The focus on youth is critically important,'' Kessler agreed Tuesday. ``It's critical we do all we can to prevent kids from getting hooked.''
The panel also recommended that Congress increase the 24-cent federal tax on cigarettes to $2 a pack.
by CNB