ENZI: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION BEST CHOICE TO REGULATE TOBACCO

Washington, D.C. – At today’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)Committee markup on a bill requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve andregulate tobacco products, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) offered an amendment that wouldshift that responsibility to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“FDA is the wrong agency to regulate tobacco,” said Enzi, Ranking Member of theHELP Committee. “CDC has the infrastructure, personnel and mission to take on tobacco. FDAdoes not.

“My fierce opposition to smoking is a result of smoking killing my dad, and my mom,and my mother-in-law, and second-hand smoking conclusively affecting me. This is not political. This is personal,” Enzi said.

Enzi noted that CDC already has special anti-tobacco campaigns targeting youth and anoffice dedicated to tobacco, the Office on Smoking and Health. In addition to moving tobaccoregulation to CDC, the Enzi amendment would change the name of the office to the Office onSmoking OR Health.

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