INCREASE TOBACCO PRICES IMMEDIATELY. Federal excise taxes on all tobacco products should be raised by at least $2.00 per pack immediately, with large annual increases thereafter. Price increases produce declines in youth and adult tobacco use.
PROTECT CHILDREN FROM TOBACCO. Increasingly stringent company- specific performance standards should be set to sharply reduce children's use of all forms of tobacco. Failure to meet annual targets should result in graduated penalties beginning with at least $1.00 per pack.
ENSURE FREEDOM FROM ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE. Everyone has a right to smokefree air. Legislation or regulations should be implemented to protect all workers and the public from exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
EXPAND PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES. Effective tobacco control, including state, local and community-based initiatives, education, counter-advertising, health and policy research, cessation and treatment, should be greatly expanded. Special attention should be given to people targeted by the tobacco industry, including youth, women, communities of color and other populations. Tobacco tax revenues should be dedicated to health.
PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL TOBACCO CONTROL. United States policy should actively promote tobacco control worldwide, including ending tobacco promotion by federal agencies, and supporting tobacco control activities by multilateral governmental bodies and nongovernmental organizations. United States tobacco companies should be required, at a minimum, to follow the same restrictions on youth access and marketing abroad as are established in this country.
SUPPORT TOBACCO COMMUNITIES. The needs of family tobacco farmers and manufacturing workers should be addressed.
PROVIDE TOBACCO INDUSTRY OVERSIGHT. An administrative oversight function should be created at the federal level that has subpoena power and is charged with investigating and reporting annually on industry conduct, federal tobacco control program implementation, and youth and adult tobacco use in the United States by product type and company.