they work for nida -- the national institute on drug abuse. nida wants teens to know that smoking is not a game. >> tobacco is powerful stuff. take a drag and nicotine's absorbed in your lung and moves into your bloodstream, and it's in your brain in 8 seconds. >> but if you continue to smoke, it can change your brain and cause addiction. >> nicotine is one of thousands of chemicals in cigarettes. many of them are poison, linked to trouble with breathing, heart disease, and cancer. >> smoking can cause a long list of adverse health problems. addiction is just one of them, of course. that forces you to keep buying and using this very dangerous product for the rest of your life. >> and listen to this -- new research shows that teens are more at risk for addiction than adults are. >> their brains are still developing. any drug that you put in the brain will have long-term impacts on its trajectory of development. >> that's why scientists want us to avoid not just smoking, but all tobacco products. that includes smokeless tobacco, like plugs and s

at the meeting that we held last year attended by nida, attended by the office of national drug control policy and samsa, we heard loud and clear there was an interest in moving it to over the counter status. >> let me just interrupt you. i'm not sure i agree with that, but we live in a world that -- [inaudible] now is available over the counter with the tootsie rolls and snicker bars. if interdiction and abstinence is not going to work in other areas, you know, maybe this is something that needs to be looked at. because anyone who has ever seen the dramatic reversal of an amp of narcan on an opiate overdose will understand that you go from crisis to normal in the space of 26 seconds, and it is dramatic. again, i'm not saying that i advocate that, but i just wonder in this brave new world that we've entered, is that a consideration? so i hear that you are, in fact, entertaining that. mr. kerlikowske, i also have to mention about drug diversion. you mentioned the 11 hours in medical school. you do learn a lot in your very first years in residency and in practice, and i just recall very v

at the meaning that we held last year, attended by nida and the drug control policy we heard loud andclear there was a broad interest in moving it to over-the-counter status. >> let me interrupt you. i'm not sure i agree with that. we live in a world where -- it is available with a toot sincerity roll and sticker bars if interdiction and abstinence is not going work in other areas. then, you know, maybe this is something that needs to be looked at. because anyone who has seen the dramatic reversal on an opioid overdose will understand you go from crisis to normal in the space of 26 seconds. it is traumatic. i'm not saying i advocate that. i wonder in the world we have entered is that consideration? i hear that you are in fact entertaining that. you mention the 11 hours of medical school. you learn a lot in the first years of resident sincerity and practice. i recall vividly when i was moonlighting at community hospitals and someone would come in with a textbook description description, they probably memorized it. a textbook description of renal pain and savvy enough to bite the lip an