TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, SB 1080 – a bill disguised as a solution to the youth tobacco epidemic – was passed by the Senate Rules Committee with an 11-5 vote. The bill will be heard next on the full Senate floor.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), alongside other leading public health organizations, is urging Senate lawmakers to do the right thing: oppose SB 1080 and protect Florida’s youth over tobacco industry profits.
“At such a critical juncture for public health and amid stalled progress in the youth tobacco use rate, the advancement of this bill puts decades of progress in protecting youth from tobacco at risk. Today, one in four Florida high schoolers use e-cigarettes.
“Repealing the right of our local communities to take action to address the alarming rates of youth tobacco use in our state silences the voices of concerned parents, pediatricians and affected teens everywhere and allows our children and communities to continue to suffer at the hands of the Big Tobacco and its allies.
“Even more worrisome – the bill is void of any effective protections for our children and penalizes them rather than hold the industry, who caused today’s youth epidemic, responsible. Years of continued inaction by the state to regulate tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, demands strong, local laws that protect our children from a lifetime of addiction.
“We’re urging Senate lawmakers to remember their promise to protect Florida youth and prioritize their health and future over Big Tobacco’s profits. Our lawmakers can do better to offer just and effective protections for our children – and Florida’s kids deserve such.”
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About ACS CAN at 20
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) makes cancer a top priority for policymakers at every level of government. ACS CAN empowers volunteers across the country to make their voices heard to influence evidence-based public policy change that saves lives. We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. Since 2001, as the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and made workplaces, including restaurants and bars, smoke-free. As we mark our 20th anniversary, we’re more determined than ever to stand together with our volunteers and save more lives from cancer. Join the fight by visiting www.fightcancer.org.