regina benjamin united states surgeon general. go to cdc.gov and learn how to make our next generation tobacco free. i'd like dr. cheryl perry to join dr. coe and i and we'll be happy to take your questions.

regina benjamin, surgeon general, go to cdc.gov. learn how to make our next generation tobacco free. [ applause ] >> so i would look to ask dr. cheryl perry to join dr. koh and i. we will be happy to take your questions. i understand we have time for only several questions. but we would be delighted to take some now. >> yes. my question is for the surgeon general. what role do you see as primary care providers, primary care physicians playing in all of this? >> i think primary care physicians and any physicians are well respected by their patients and they listen to their patients. i ask patients to talk to their doctor. and as far as doctors we need to always talk to our patients about smoking and, ways to quit smoking. particularly in the primary care arena when we are dealing with adolescents and this age group. we can have very strong effect there. >> other questions from the audience? going once. okay. thank you very much for being here. >> thank you. >> thank you. >>> up next on c-span 3 a house oversight committee hearing on

now i'd like to turn over the podium to surgeon general regina benjam benjamin. regina? [ applause ] >> good afternoon and a very special thank you to secretary sebelius for her exceptional lead eership in this critical issue. she has to leave for another commitment. she's really been very involved in this initiative from the beginning. you know, being here today is personal to me. as many of you, it's also personal to you. as i mentioned when i took this position, my mother died of lung cancer from smoking. when she was young, she started smoking because she was a girl, she wasn't allowed to smoke like her twin brother was and she said as soon as she got to be old enough, she would. and she started smoking as a teenager. it took her life. and i then watched my uncle buddy, her twin brother, a world war ii prisoner of war survivor sit tide to an oxygen tank struggling for each breath because of smoking-related em fees e-maila until just a few months ago when his lungs just simply gave out. i don't want anyone else to have to suffer the loss of a loved one due to a preven

regina benjamin, surgeon general, and dr. tom frieden, who heads the centers fester i also want to personally thank the individuals who were here, some of them you will hear from, the former smokers, whose real-life story inspires this effort and outreach. we are here today to announce the latest step this administration is taking in our fight against the number one cause of preventable death in america. the new ad campaign we are launching today will feature some of the most moving and attention-grabbing stories about smoking's devastating health and we expect it will lead more than half a million smokers to seek out the resources they need to quit. when we look back just a few decades to the days of smoking on airplanes and elevators, it can be easy to focus on how far we've come since then. it can be easy to be lulled into a sense of complacency and start to think of tobacco use as a problem that will go away on its own. but, unfortunately, we know better. and the numbers tell a very different story. tobacco continues to k

regina benjamin, u.s. surgeon general.th each cigarette, you have to ask yourself: "is this the one that will cause a heart attack?" if you really want to quit smoking, call 1-800-quit-now. >>> breaking news out of san francisco. police get a call of a body on the street. they are now investigating this as a homicide. i'm christie smith. i'll have that story in a live report. >>> we'll take you live to morgan hill where

regina benjamin, surgeon general and dr. tom friedman who heads the centers for disease control and i want to thank the individuals who are here, some of whom you're going to hear from the former smokers, whose real life story inspires this effort and outrage. we're here today to announce the latest step this administration is taking in our fight against the number one cause of preventable death in america. we have a new ad campaign that we're launching that will feature some of the most moving and attention grabbing stories about smoking's devastating effects. these stories really haven't ever been seen in popular media. and we expect it will lead to more than half a million smokers seeking out the resources they need to quit. now, when we look back on just a few decades to the days of smoking on airplanes and elevators, it can be easy to focus on how far we've come since then. it can be easy to be lulled into a sense of complacency and start to think tobacco use is a problem that will go away on its own. but unfortunately

regina benjamin, the surgeon general you will hear from, dr. david sacher, former surgeon general involved in this effort for a long time. [ applause ] dr. howard koh, my assistant secretary for health, who you will also hear from. we have key members of the office of the assistant secretary of health staff leadership, wonderful team here from cdc, dr. perry who is the author of this report, who comes from texas to be with tuesday, and lots of you who have been involved in this effort for a long time. since the first surgeon general's report on tobacco was published in 1964, the good news is we have seen a percentage of americans who smoke steadily decline. in 1965, over 42% of americans smoked. by 2004, it had fallen to just under 21%. and that's very good news. but, for all the progress we have made tobacco use remains the biggest single threat to american's health. it kills an estimated 433,000 every year, 433,000. and every tobacco related death is replaced by two new smokers under the age of 25. today's report brings more troubling news. i

again thank the department of health and human services, secretary sebelius, surgeon general regina benjamin, and most of all, the courageous men and women who came forward to share their stories with america to protect and help other americans get free of tobacco. we can now, i think, take a few questions? [ inaudible ] >> tom with abc news, for both of you, please. i wanted to ask you about the states. you've taken a major step forward on the federal level. the states may not be. we've done some looking at the figures, and the $25 billion they're getting from the tobacco only 2% is going to antismoking. is that enough? should the states be doing more? >> the centers for disease control and prevention publishes guidelines for what states should spend on tobacco control in order to reduce the use of tobacco. no state reaches the recommended level of funding, and some of them are at single digits in terms of the proportion of the funds that they dedicate to tobacco control. there are some people who have said, well, the reason smoking isn't going down so much is we've reached some kind of irr

regina benjamin said the numbers are shocking and a problem must be solved the report concludes thateting encourages young people to begin and continue tobacco use from an early age you may soon be able to get certain drugs without a prescription the food and drug administration is considering allowing certain prescription drugs to be sold over-the- counter they want to make medication for chronic conditions more readily available the fda regulators are targeting high blood pressure cholesterol migraines and asthma medications experts said that making it easier for [ female announcer ] with swiffer dusters a great clean doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. i'm gonna read one of these. i'm gonna read one of these! [ female announcer ] unlike sprays and dust rags swiffer 360 duster's extender gets into hard-to-reach places without the hassle. so you can get unbelievable dust pickup in less time without missing a thing. i love that book. can you believe the twin did it? ♪ ♪ swiffer. great clean in less time. or your money back. it's time to get going. to have the energy to turn a "to

regina benjamin. [applause] >> good morning. such a nice turnout or code thank you all for being so interested in such an important health commitment to tobacco control. i would like to say a very special thank you to our secretary sebelius. she had to leave. for strong and unrelenting leadership on this most important public health issue. she has made it a top priority. i would also like to recognize my tobacco free advocate, the young students and groups i've been working with. they come from north carolina and virginia. why don't you guys standup? [applause] also the others who are watching on the web stream there. you know, 2012 surgeon general's report preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults is the result of the contribution of over more than 130 health experts so i would like to recognize the editors who are with us today, dr. cheryl perry, dr. melissa siegler.year frank that are here and they will be here to help with the questions and answers. also i understand, think dr. kessler is here to represent him and

i'm regina benjamin come united states surgeon general. go to cdc.gov and learn how to make our generation tobacco free. [applause] >> i would like to ask dr. charlotte perry will be happy to take your question. >> i understand we -- i understand that time on the several questions that would be delighted to take some now. [inaudible] >> i think primary care physicians and a physician or a well respected by their patient and listen to their patient. so patients can talk to your doctor and as far as doctors, when a choice after patients about smoking and ways to quit smoking. particularly in the primary care arena, when we are dealing with adolescents in this age group, we can have a very strong is that they are. >> other questions from the audience? going once. okay, thank you very much for being here. [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> the house today passed a bill making it easier for small businesses to raise capital and go public. democrats and republicans remain divided about a larger jonesville. how superb a good spoke to reporte

. >>> regina benjamin calls new smoking numbers out today simply shocking. this new report finds nearly one in five high school age students are still smoking. according to the study more than 80% of smokers start by the time they are 18 and a full 99% of adult smokers started by the age of 26. the surgeon general reported the first comprehensive lack at youth tobacco use in almost two decades. >>> smoking is banned in restaurants and workplaces, but lighting up with kids in the car is still legal in most states, including d.c., maryland, and virginia. that subject is on our radar tonight because maryland's senate is scheduled to debate this issue tomorrow. scott broom is working the story with smokers and nonsmokers alike. scott what are you hearing? >> reporter: i'll tell you, smoking in the car with kids, i've spent hours outside this big convenience store in beltsville today talking to people about it and not a single one of them thinks it's a good idea. so why, then, has maryland's legislature tried and failed eight times previously to pass this ban? >>

regina benjamin released an extensive report on tobacco use among the nation's youth. among the most notable findings, nearly one in four high school seniors smokes, and 3800 kids pick up the habit every day. dr. benjamin called the statistics shocking. that's almost an understatement, according to dr. otis brawley of the american cancer society. >> shocking, disgusting, upsetting. >> reporter: the youth smoking rate had been declining since the late 90s but slowed contractibly in recent years. dr. brawley attributes it to campaigns against higher taxes during a weaker economy. >> excises on tobacco are especially effective in preventing 14 and 15-year-old kids from buying cigarettes. >> reporter: other suggestions include smoke-free laws and tobacco prevention programs. >> at 12 i smoke mid first cigarette. >> reporter: the government hopes to get teens attention in this new public service announcement. >> at 50 i'll die of a heart attack. >> reporter: big tobacco is criticized in the surgeon general's report for spending more than $27 million a day in marketing and p

regina benjamin, the surgeon general, who you will hear from in a few minutes. dr. david stature is with us, former surgeon general who has been involved in this effort for a long time. [applause] prius assistant secretary for health, who you will also hear from. we have key members of the office of the assistant secretary of health staff, leadership, a wonderful team here from cdc, dr. perry who is the author of this report. he comes from texas to be with us today. a lot of you who have been involved in this effort for a long time. since the first surgeon general's report on tobacco was published in 1964, the good news is we have seen the percentage of americans who smoke steadily declined. in 1965, over 42% of americans smoked. by 2004, it had fallen to just under 21%, and that is very good news. but while the progress we have made, tobacco use remains the biggest single threat to americans held. it kills an estimated 443,000 every year. every tobacco related debt is replaced by two new smokers under the age of 25. today's report brings more troubling news. it is

surgeon general regina benjamin. that is on right now on c-span 3.esidential campaign. the american enterprise institute scholars will discuss the role of the syrian unrest, nuclear ambitions in iran, and u.s. troop withdrawal from afghanistan. that is coming up at 1:00 p.m. eastern. until then, we will hear from this morning's "washington journal" on veterans mental- health. host: dr. cameron is here to talk with us about mental health and the military and the armed forces. dr. richard, how would you describe the mental health aspects of the armed services health benefits at this time? guest: the army and the other services have been at war for several years. they are basically tired. there is a lot of ptsd, posttraumatic stress disorder. there are some traumatic brain concussions. and there are psychological effects, depression, anxiety, and simply being tired. host: are we seeing an increase in ptsd and tbi from these two wars worst and we have in the past? guest: we have much better data than we have had in the past. to remind you and our viewers

thank you for being with us and now i'd like to turn over the podium to surgeon general regina benjamin. regina? [applause] >> good afternoon. in a and a very special thank you to secretary sibelius for her exceptional leadership in this issue. she regrets to have to leave for another commitment because she's really been very involved in this initiative from the beginning. being here today is personal to me. as many of you, it's also personal to you. as i mentioned when i took this position, my mother died of lung cancer from smoking. when she was young she started smoking because she was a girl, she wasn't allowed to smoke like her twin brother was. she said as soon as she god got to be old enough she would. and it took her life. uncle buddy, a world war ii prison of war survivor. i saw him sitting next to an oxygen tank, struggling for each breath, until a few months ago when his lungs gave out. i don't want anyone to have to sump the loss of a loved one due to a preventable condition such as those caused by tobacco use. i've released two surgeon general reports on to bicycle. the fir

regina benjamin, the surgeon general, who you will hear from in a few minutes. dr. david stature is with us, former surgeon general who has been involved in this effort for a long time. [applause] prius assistant secretary for health, who you will also hear from. we have key members of the office of the is the -- assistant secretary of health staff, leadership, a wonderful team here from cdc, dr. perry who is the author of this report. he comes from texas to be with us today. a lot of you who have been involved in this effort for a long time. since the first surgeon dingell's report on tobacco was published in 1964, the good news is we have seen the percentage of americans who smoke steadily declined -- since the first surgeon general's report. in 1965, over 42% of americans smoked. by 2004, it had fallen to just under 21%, and that is very good news. but while the progress we have made, tobacco use remains the biggest single threat to americans held. it kills an estimated 443,000 every year. every tobacco related debt is replaced by two new smokers under the age of