Clinton Moves Against Teen Smoking

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Aug. 23) -- President Bill Clinton announced regulations this afternoon to declare nicotine an addictive drug, a dramatic gesture aimed at curbing teen-age smoking. (256K WAV sound)

"With this historic action we are taking today, Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man will be out of our children's reach forever," Clinton said to applause at a White House ceremony. (160K WAV sound) He was flanked by children in red T-shirts that read, "Tobacco-free Kids."

Clinton said the government's move, sure to be challenged in court by the tobacco industry, will help parents do a better job raising their children and getting them off to a healthy start.

The executive order is designed to restrict the sale, advertising (320K WAV sound) and accessibility of tobacco products to teens. It also brings nicotine under control of the Food and Drug Administration.

Tobacco has already become a key issue in the presidential campaign, and this move, which raises the issue's profile even more, will give Clinton some momentum going into next week's Democratic convention. (256K WAV sound)

Clinton acknowledged the political ruckus he faces, recounting some of the conversations he had with Vice President Al Gore when the FDA began its inquiry into possible increased regulation.

"He (Gore) looked at me and I looked at him, and I said, 'Well, you know what this might lead to,' and he said, 'I certainly hope so,' " Clinton said.

"And I said...it really isn't an accident that nobody else has ever tried to do this....This is not going to be one of those freebies."

Still, presidential aides think the issue is a net vote-getter, despite opposition from tobacco-producing states, like North Carolina and Kentucky.

Children who smoke cigarettes, Clinton said, are more likely to use marijuana and cocaine later. Nearly 3,000 children a day begin to smoke, and, out of them, 1,000 will die earlier than they would otherwise, the president said.

"This epidemic is no accident," Clinton said. "Children are bombarded daily by massive marketing campaigns that play on their vulnerabilities, their insecurities, their longings to be something in the world.

"Joe Camel promises smoking will make you cool," Clinton said. "Virginia Slims models whisper that smoking will help you stay thin. T-shirts and sports sponsorships send the message that healthy and vigorous people smoke, and that smoking is fun."

Clinton called his decision "the right thing to do, scientifically, legally and morally."

But Clinton also acknowledged that cigarettes are a legal product for adults, who have a right to decide whether to smoke. (288K WAV sound) And he said the government must be prepared to help tobacco farmers make the transition if -- as he hopes -- fewer young people begin smoking and the long-term consumption of tobacco drops.

"With this action, the president in essence has accepted the FDA's determination that cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are delivery devices for the drug nicotine," Press Secretary Mike McCurry said before the president spoke.

McCurry added that the action takes effect immediately, though the specific rules will be phased in gradually, starting in six months.

Some of the highlights from the order:

No more snazzy ads, such as Joe Camel offering free concert tickets in magazines like Rolling Stone and others that are read by teen-agers. The only cigarette ads that could appear in such magazines would be black-and-white, text-only.
No more cigarette billboards within 1,000 feet of schools or pictures on any billboards, like the galloping Marlboro Man.
No more tobacco sponsorships of tennis matches, auto races and other sporting events.

Clinton had proposed ordering tobacco companies to pay $150 million for anti-smoking education. It was unclear whether the provision was in the final regulations.

The regulations closely resemble Clinton's 1995 strict proposal to regulate tobacco advertising, sales and access aimed at minors, McCurry said.

The Food and Drug Administration made a few minor changes in response to thousands of comments filed by the public -- opponents and advocates -- during the last year.

Still, the regulations mark a historic shift in the balance of power between Washington's bureaucracy and the powerful tobacco industry, and they mean that tobacco may become a key issue in the fall election campaign.

Clinton Moves Against Teen Smoking

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