CONGRESS CONSIDERING LABELS, SALES LIMITS FOR CIGARS

In the first comprehensive national legislation proposed to regulate
cigars, a bill was introduced yesterday in Congress that would impose a
health warning label, limit advertising and restrict sales, distribution
and marketing to minors.

The bill is aimed at closing a loophole on the only major tobacco product
left virtually unchecked by federal law, said the bill's sponsor, Rep.
Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and senior member of the House
Commerce Committee, where the bill is expected to be referred.

The bill is driven by two factors: mounting evidence that cigar smoking
causes cancer of the lip, tongue, esophagus, larynx and lung; and an
estimated 250 percent rise in cigar smoking over the past five years.

"Cigars are being perceived as more glamorous and less dangerous than
cigarettes," Markey said. "My legislation will drive home the point that
cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes."

A spokesman for the cigar industry said that manufacturers "endorse the
goal" of the bill. But Norman Sharp, president of the Cigar Association of
America, said, "We do not think that legislation is necessary to accomplish
that goal." The industry is opposed to underage smoking and opposed to
marketing and advertising aimed at youth, he said. But Sharp said the
industry opposes a federal warning label.

The move to regulate cigar sales has the backing of past and present
surgeons general and federal agencies, which are already looking into ways
of regulating cigars. And leaders in the public-health community welcomed
the bill.

"There's no question that we feel there's a need for the control of cigars
and to keep kids from having easy access to them. I think the message has
to be given that this is dangerous," said David Rosenthal, president of the
American Cancer Society.

The bill, named the "Cigars Are No Safe Alternative Act," would:

- -- Require health warnings on cigars, cigar boxes and other packaging

- - acting through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Until now, most
cigar manufacturers have voluntarily adopted a weak California warning
label that says their product "contains/produces chemicals known to the
state of California to cause cancer." Cigarettes have carried a federal
warning label since the 1960s. Similar warning labels have been required on
smokeless tobacco since the mid-1980s.

- -- Forbid cigar advertising on television and radio. Now, manufacturers are
allowed to use the electronic media to advertise large cigars. Cigarettes
and smokeless tobacco, under federal law, cannot be advertised on
television and radio. The bill also encourages stopping the placement of
cigars in movies and on television shows aimed at a young audience.

- -- Prohibit the sale of cigars to those under the age of 18. Retailers
would be required to sell cigars in face-to-face exchanges, which would
prohibit vending-machine sales, and to ensure cigars are located in areas
where customers do not have direct access to them. There are similar
federal regulations for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

- -- Require cigar manufacturers to report on the yields of tar, nicotine,
carbon monoxide and other additives in cigar smoke; the report would be
made to the secretary of health and human services. There are similar rules
for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)