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OCR Page 1 of 5006/20/97 FRI 16:09 FAX 2026905673
DHHS/ASPA
002
CLOSE HOLD
Questions and Answers on Review Process of Tobacco Proposed Settlement
Q
The President said that the Administration's review of the proposed settlement will take
several weeks. Why will it take so long?
A
This is a very complex legal and public health issue. It took the Department of Health
and Human Services about a year to draft and finalize the historic FDA final rule to
protect children from the dangers of tobacco. It took the parties involved in the
negotiations four months to reach this proposed settlement. We will work
expeditiously, but again this is a complicated issue and we must conduct a rigorous
review from every angle to ensure that the President's public health objectives are met.
Q
Why is it so complicated?
A
There are a number of complex legal and public health issues related to the proposed
settlement. For example, the Food and Drug Administration's jurisdiction over tobacco
involves very complicated and important legal issues. With the President's leadership
and the concrete steps the Food and Drug Administration already has taken, we are
making progress in keeping tobacco out of the hands of children. But we want to
continue with our lawsuit to make sure that the FDA rule stands. We do not want to do
anything to jeopardize our court case. As the President has said, it is critical to protect
our children by standing firm in our determination to ban the advertising and marketing
of cigarettes that endanger their lives.
This is also a critical public health issue. As the President has said, protecting the
public health - and particularly our children's health - is and has always been our
primary concern. We know that nearly 3,000 young people become regular smokers
each day. and nearly 1,000 of these children and adolescents will die early from their
use of tobacco products. We must do everything in our power to dramatically reduce
smoking by young people because they deserve a life free from the disease that comes
with using tobacco. We cannot support any agreement unless it meets this high standard
set by the President - because no less than our children's futures are at stake.
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