How You Can Help Hold Big Tobacco Accountable
Nearly 20 years ago, a U.S. Federal District judge found that the major cigarette manufacturers violated civil racketeering laws for deliberately defrauding the public.
News
CONGRESS PASSES FDA LEGISLATION!!!
June 12, 2009
It is my great pleasure to share the news that the Congress has passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, and that the President will soon sign it into law. The bill, which gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and sale of tobacco products, was passed by the Senate yesterday in a bipartisan vote of 79 to 17 and was approved by the House today in another lopsided vote of 307-97. After more than 10 years of hard work from your American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM, this lifesaving legislation will soon become law!
This is a major achievement that would not have been possible without the dedication and persistence of volunteers and staff nationwide. In the past few weeks alone, ACS CAN volunteers placed more than 5,000 phone calls to members of Congress in support of this legislation. ACS CAN volunteers also met with Senators during the most recent congressional recess and participated in public events across the country to call attention to the bill. Special recognition goes to the more than 9,000 American Cancer Society Relay For Life® volunteers, nearly 8,000 of them first-time ACS CAN volunteers, who sent just under 18,500 emails to Senators in one week.
In Washington, ACS CAN kept the pressure up with an aggressive advertising campaign that used
After a decade in the trenches in support of this bill, I am so pleased that we have emerged victorious. At the same time, let me introduce one note of caution – that we must remain vigilant in approaching the equally important work of implementing the bill and fighting tobacco on other fronts. We can never underestimate the lengths to which Big Tobacco will go to fight the efforts of the public health community.
This week we made history, thanks to the dedicated support of ACS and ACS CAN staff and volunteers. With efforts like this, we can – and will – make cancer history, too.
school buses (and a few weeks earlier, schoolhouses) to illustrate the number of children who try smoking for the first time each day absent strong regulation. A thank-you ad to Senators that ran in Capitol Hill publications today can be viewed here. At fightcancer.org/protectkids, ACS CAN continues to run a counter tracking how many children have tried their first cigarette since January 1, 2009, alongside opportunities to take action.
Thank you for all you do each day to save lives and help us achieve victories like the one we celebrate today – and to ultimately create a world with more birthdays for everyone.
With thanks,
__________________________
John R. Seffrin, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
American Cancer Society, Inc.
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
250 Williams Street - 4C
Atlanta, GA 30303
P: 404-329-7601
F: 404-417-8017
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