The Great American Smokeout

Floor Speech

THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT -- (Senate - November 16, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today is the American Cancer Society's 31st annual Great American Smokeout. This is an annual event designed to encourage the 45.8 million Americans who smoke tobacco to kick the habit. First held in 1977, American Smokeout Day challenges smokers to give up their cigarettes for 24 hours, in the hope that their decision to quit will be permanent.

Each year, approximately 440,000 Americans die from tobacco-related diseases. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women, accounting for one in five deaths in the United States. In Maryland alone in 2005, there were more than 7,000 smoking-related deaths, many from lung cancer.

Americans know much more today about the dangers of tobacco than we did 31 years ago when this event first took place. We know cigarettes contain more than 250 chemicals that are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, which is used in making chemical weapons; carbon monoxide, which is found in car exhaust fumes; and ammonia, which is used in household cleaners.

We have also learned that smoking affects not only tobacco users, but also the people around them. Recent research has demonstrated the serious hazards of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes nearly 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year, and it is especially harmful to young children. Tragically, secondhand smoke is cited as the cause of approximately 430 sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, fatalities in the United States each year.

My home State of Maryland is 1 of 22 States that have enacted laws banning smoking in nearly all public places. Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 into law on May 17, 2007. It will go into effect on February 1, 2008. This law specifically prohibits smoking in public meeting places, public transportation vehicles, and indoor places of employment, including all restaurants and bars.

We also know it is never too late to quit. There are significant health benefits to quitting, even after 30 or more years of smoking. Studies have shown that quitting at age 30 reduces one's chances of dying from smoking-related diseases by more than 90 percent, and quitting by age 50 reduces one's chances by more than 50 percent.

Today is also a prime opportunity for our seniors who still smoke to quit. Doing so will save overall health care costs and save lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.3 percent of Americans age 65 and older smoke cigarettes, and nearly 300,000 seniors die of smoking-related diseases every year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have estimated that smoking-related health problems accounted for
about 10 percent of total Medicare costs.

Many elderly smokers began their habit decades ago, when tobacco companies told us that smoking carried no health risks. But we know better now, and help is available. Since 2005, Medicare has covered the cost of smoking cessation counseling for beneficiaries with diseases caused by tobacco use, such as cardiovascular disease, lung disease, weak bones, blood clots, and cataracts. Medicare also covers counseling for beneficiaries who take medications for diabetes, hypertension, blood clots, and depression because tobacco use can reduce the effectiveness of these medicines. Medicare Part D plans also cover smoking-cessation products such as nicotine patches and gum as long as they are prescribed by a physician.

There has been significant progress in the fight against cancer, and one factor is the decline in overall smoking rates in the U.S. But a recent New York Times article entitled, ``The Smoking Scourge Among Urban Blacks,'' reported dramatic increases in smoking among poor minorities in cities across America and particularly in my home town of Baltimore. On city streets, cigarettes are sold individually as ``loosies'' for 50 cents each, targeting people who cannot afford the nearly $5 cost of a full pack. Despite the success of antismoking campaigns among American society as a whole, recent research shows that more than half of poor, Black young adults still smoke. So we must continue to do more to educate minority children and young adults about the health hazards of smoking. We won't be able to attack the problem of health disparities in earnest until we do.

Finally, it is time for the United States to recognize nicotine as a drug and regulate its use. That is why I am a cosponsor of Senator Kennedy's bill, S. 625, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by a majority of this body, would give the Food and Drug Administration broad new authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution, advertising, promotion, sale, and use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. Congress cannot in good conscience allow the Federal agency most responsible for protecting the public health to remain powerless to deal with the enormous risks of tobacco.

In closing, I want to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the American Cancer Society in raising awareness of the dangers of tobacco use and in sponsoring the Great American Smokeout. Over the years, ACS has helped millions of Americans live healthier, longer, and fuller lives. With comprehensive tobacco control programs, indoor smoke-free workplace laws, and a multitude of smoking cessation resources available today to help smokers, there has never been a better time to quit. Today's smokeout will give many more Americans the motivation to put out their last cigarette.

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