David Kessler, the former FDA Commissioner, called smoking a pediatric disease. This is a national epidemic. It is a national tragedy. We must struggle to end it until we prevail. Just last month, the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that advertisements and promotions were even more crucial than peer pressure in getting teens to start smoking.
Tobacco is one of the most heavily advertised products in America.
He could have run for President. And that's a pretty good investment from the tobacco companies' point of view. The advertisements have taken a deadly toll. That's why you began to bring your lawsuits. That's why in 1995 I launched a nationwide effort to prevent our tobacco companies from advertising to children, to educate children about the dangers of smoking, to reduce children's access to tobacco products.