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OCR Page 1 of 58American Medical Association
MEDICAL
Physicians dedicated to the health of America
Tobacco Public Health Reviews
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 1997
For further information, contact:
Brenda L. Craine
202-789-7447
AMA CALLS TOBACCO DEAL "A LANDMARK EFFORT"
BUT MODIFICATIONS MUST BE MADE
The American Medical Association today announced support for a "comprehensive
legislative solution" to reduce underage tobacco use based on the proposed tobacco
settlement agreement - if Congress adopts critical improvements.
The AMA released a 45-page report, which calls for strengthening the agreement,
especially two "essential" provisions that would "achieve real, permanent, major public
health benefits." The AMA recommendations would strengthen the FDA's jurisdiction
over tobacco products -- so that the FDA is given the same authority over tobacco
products that it has over other drugs and devices, and increase the penalty paid to the
tobacco industry from $80 million to as much as $423 million for each percentage of
underage use above the targets for underage smoking (based on the lifetime social costs
of tobacco use).
Richard F. Corlin, MD, speaker of the AMA's House of Delegates, called the agreement
a "landmark effort," which contains many otherwise unachievable benefits. The AMA
outlined nine advantages to addressing the tobacco problem through an improved version
of the proposed settlement, rather than continuing litigation and piece-meal legislation,
including the fact that the settlement would generate between $4.5 and $7.5 billion per
year in funding for public health programs, would confirm FDA jurisdiction and
implement unprecedented youth access and advertising restrictions immediately, and
would established an ambitious set of targets for reducing underage smoking.
1101 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202 789-7400
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