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107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1454

To prohibit the importation of bidi cigarettes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 4, 2001

Mr. GALLEGLY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To prohibit the importation of bidi cigarettes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 The Congress finds the following:

5 (1) 430,000 people die every year from tobacco

6 use.

7 (2) Medical expenses from treating smoking-re8 lated diseases cost the United States economy

9 $89,000,000,000 annually.

10 (3) 6,000 children try smoking every day, half

11 of whom will become daily smokers.
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1 (4) Almost 90 percent of current adult smokers

2 began at or before the legal age of 18.

3 (5) 1 in 3 children who begin smoking now will

4 eventually die from smoking-related diseases.

5 (6) Studies have shown that the earlier an indi6 vidual begins smoking, the more likely it is that he

7 or she will become addicted.

8 (7) Studies indicate that bidi cigarettes manu9 factured with flavors, such as strawberry, chocolate,

10 mandarin orange, vanilla, grape, lemon-lime, clove,

11 mint, cinnamon, wild cherry, mango, cardamom, lic12 orice, and raspberry, are more likely to induce chil13 dren to smoke.

14 (8) Smoking among adults has been decreasing

15 in recent years, but smoking among youth remains

16 at historically high levels, a situation which bidi

17 cigarettes could exacerbate.

18 (9) Studies show that bidi cigarettes are more

19 likely to be sold illegally to youth and without re20 quired warning labels.

21 (10) Because of similar appearance to mari22 juana cigarettes, bidi cigarettes are considered to be

23 a more likely ‘‘gateway drug’’, and could lead to

24 more children using illegal drugs.
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1 (11) Bidi cigarettes generally deliver 3 to 8

2 times more nicotine, and are therefore more addict3 ing than conventional United States filtered ciga4 rettes.

5 (12) Smokers of bidi cigarettes show an in6 creased risk of coronary heart disease and cancers of

7 the mouth, pharynx and larynx, esophagus, stomach,

8 and liver.

9 (13) Bidi cigarettes contain 3 times more car10 bon monoxide and 5 times more tar, as well as high11 er levels of phenol, ammonia, nitrosamines, and hy12 drogen cyanide, than conventional United States fil13 tered cigarettes.

14 (14) Attorneys General from all 50 States and

15 the United States Virgin Islands have urged the

16 Federal Government to take action to stop the im17 portation of bidi cigarettes.

18 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON IMPORTATION OF BIDI CIGA19 RETTES.

20 No bidi cigarettes may be imported into the United

21 States.

22 SEC. 3. BIDI CIGARETTE DEFINED.

23 In this Act, the term ‘‘bidi cigarette’’ means a prod24 uct that—
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1 (1) contains tobacco that is wrapped in

2 temburni or tendu leaf, or that is wrapped in any

3 other material identified by the Secretary of the

4 Treasury because the material is similar in appear5 ance or other characteristics to the temburni or

6 tendu leaf; and

7 (2) does not contain a smoke filtering device.

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