House Passes Historic Bill to Protect Kids from Tobacco; Senator Grassley Should Cosponsor L...(uctscause make changes to their products...),Health

The Senate bill, sponsored by U.S. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and John Cornyn (R-TX), has 57 sponsors and cosponsors. The legislation is also supported by more than 680 public health, faith and other organizations across the country, including every major national public health organization. Regulation of tobacco products by the FDA was endorsed last year by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the President's Cancer Panel. A poll conducted in June found that 70 percent of American voters support Congress passing the legislation.

Tobacco use is the nation's leading preventable cause of death, killing more than 400,000 people and costing nearly $100 billion in health care costs each year. In Iowa, tobacco use kills 4,500 residents each year and costs the state $1 billion annually in health care bills. Currently, over 18 percent of Iowa high school students smoke.