[交流] a real American president-----chapter 2

US president barack obama may have just made life more difficult for cigarette makers, but he is not above sneaking a smoke every now and again. US president obama signed into law sweeping new legislation regulating the nation's tobacco industry. the bill gives the federal government the ability to regulate the production and sale of and other tobacco products. decades after the dangers of tobacco first became known, the strongest anti-smoking legislation in US history has been signed into law by the president. the measure does not criminalize tobacco or limit the availablity of tobacco products to adults. but it will have a big impact on the way cigarettes are produced and sold-particularly to young people. president obama says protecting children is what the bill is all about. "each day, 1000 young people under the age of 18 become new, regular, daily smokers," he said. "and almost 90 percent of smokers began at or before their 18th birthday." the president says he knows the problem too well. "i was one of these teenagers, and so i know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it's been with you for a long time." he said. " and i also know that kids today don't just start smoking for no reason. they are aggressively targeted as customers by the tobacco industry." as a former smoker i constantly struggle with it. have i fallen off the wagon sometimes? yes, am i a daily smoker, a constant smoker? no." obama said at a news conference. " i don't do it in front of my kids, i don't do it in front of my family. i would say that i am 95 percent cured, but there are times where i mess up." he said. as an adult obama admitted that during high school he used marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol, which he described at the 2008 civil forum on the presidency as his greatest moral failure. for the first time, a government agency-the food and drug administration , or FDA -will have the authority to regulate tobacco products. Mr.obama noted that under the new law, the FDA can ban certain additives in cigarettes and restrict the marketing techniques used by tobacco companies. "it will curb the ability of tobacco companies to market products to our children by using appealing flavors." he said, "it will force these companies to more clearly and publicly acknowledge the harmful and deadly effects of the products they sell." the president signed the legislation at a ceremony in the white house rose garden surrounded by members of congress and representatives of health advocacy groups-including three children from an organization called "the campaign for tobacco free kids." the new law gives the US food and drug administration the power to strictly limit the manufactureing and marketing of tobacco products. at a white house signing ceremony mondey, obama said that he was among the nearly 90 percent of smokers who took up the habit before their 18th birthday. "once you go down this path it's something you continually struggle with, which is precisely why the legislation we signed is so important because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first place." he said at the news conferenct. nearly 20 percent of americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440000 people a  year in the united states due to cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other ailment. this the chapter 2, welcome to here !

回复此楼