Nov. 30 1999
Washington, DC - As the United States Supreme Court prepares to decide whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the authority to regulate tobacco products, a new poll shows that a large majority of America’s kids believe that the FDA should have that authority. According to the poll conducted by Scholastic Inc., the global children’s publishing and media company, 70 percent of students believe that the FDA should regulate tobacco. More than 165,000 kids from all sections of the country, cast votes online at Scholastic.com and offline through Scholastic magazines. In a related poll through Scholastic magazines, 96 percent of the respondents believed that nicotine is a harmful drug. “The Scholastic polls show that America’s kids are tired of being manipulated by Big Tobacco,” said Bill Novelli, president of the CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS. “Kids know that smoking is dangerous and they want something done about it.” Scholastic News Zone, on the newly launched Scholastic.com features “Tobacco Goes to Court”, a special feature where children can learn about the issues in the FDA case before the Supreme Court. The results of the Scholastic poll, along with other news updates and comment can be viewed at http://www.scholastic.com.