by Richard L. Worsnop

About the author: Richard L. Worsnop, is an associate editor for the CQ Researcher, a weekly research report on public policy issues.

Disturbed by the rise in adolescent smoking, President Clinton on Aug. 10, 1995, announced he was taking steps to counteract the trend. The action took the form of proposed FDA regulations to curb marketing of tobacco products to youths under age 18.

“When Joe Camel tells young children that smoking is cool, when billboards tell teens that smoking will lead to true romance, when Virginia Slims tell adolescents that cigarettes may make them thin and glamorous, then our children need our wisdom, our guidance and our experience,” Clinton said. “We’re their parents, and it is up to us to protect them.”

The Proposal

The FDA proposal...