H.C.R. 3

1

RESOLUTION CALLING FOR END TO
2 FEDERAL SUBSIDIES OF TOBACCO
3 1997 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Robert H. M. Killpack
6 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR URGING
7 THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO ELIMINATE FEDERAL SUBSIDIES IN
8 THE PRODUCTION OF TOBACCO.
9 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
10 WHEREAS the use of tobacco is the number one leading cause of preventable death in the
11 United States;
12 WHEREAS the breathing of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) by nonsmokers is the
13 third leading cause of preventable death in the United States behind active smoking and
14 alcohol-related deaths;
15 WHEREAS the Environmental Protection Agency has scientifically determined that ETS
16 is as deadly as benzene, asbestos, and radon, which are all classified as Class A carcinogens, which
17 are those chemicals known to cause cancer in humans;
18 WHEREAS scientists have recently discovered a biological link between smoking and lung
19 cancer at the cellular level, through research that identifies the substance in tar that directly causes
20 cancer in human lung tissue;
21 WHEREAS the United States Centers for Disease Control estimates that every year more
22 than 400,000 Americans die prematurely as a result of tobacco use;
23 WHEREAS this number represents one out of every five deaths in the United States and
24 also represents a yearly loss of five million years of life;
25 WHEREAS the United States Public Health Service estimates that teens who smoke are
26 three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana,
27 and 22 times more likely to use cocaine;

1 WHEREAS it is estimated that every year, children in the United States exposed to
2 second-hand tobacco smoke suffer from 150,000 lower respiratory infections, resulting in 7,500
3 to 15,000 hospitalizations;
4 WHEREAS second-hand smoke also causes 400,000 to 1,000,000 asthma attacks and
5 8,000 to 26,000 new cases of asthma each year;
6 WHEREAS the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the United States Centers for
7 Disease Control has found that of the total annual public and private medical-care expenditures
8 an estimated $21.9 billion, or 7.1 percent, is attributable to smoking;
9 WHEREAS public funding through Medicare, Medicaid, and other sources paid for 43.3
10 percent of the medical-care expenses attributable to smoking;
11 WHEREAS for each of the approximately 24 billion packages of cigarettes sold in 1993,
12 approximately $2.06 was spent on medical care attributable to smoking or exposure to tobacco
13 smoke;
14 WHEREAS of the $2.06, approximately $0.89 was paid through public sources; and
15 WHEREAS our tax dollars are currently being used to support the production of this
16 deadly tobacco through federal subsidies:
17 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges
18 the United States Congress to eliminate federal subsidies, crop insurance, and technical assistance
19 in the production of tobacco.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the members of
21 Utah's congressional delegation, the President of the United States, and the chairs of the
22 congressional appropriation committees.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-29-97 1:30 PM

A limited legal review of this bill raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel

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