T EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Steven Asbury
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Smoking policy just hot air
■ OUR OPINION: The FDAs new
restrictions on cigarette sales won’t
ban anything
government’s latest attempts at curbing so
cial problems with asinine solutions are es
pecially ripe for criticism.
This time around, the Food and Drug Ad
ministration is implementing a new rule in
an attempt to curb teenage smoking — with
the full support of the Clinton administra
tion. Since Feb. 28, retail clerks across the
country are required to card any cigarette
buyers who “appear” to be younger than 27.
The new rule is part of a three-step feder
al “crackdown” on underage smoking. In
August, cigarette vending machines and
smoking ads will be banned everywhere but
bars and other adult-only locales. And next
year, the FDA will ban tobacco company
sponsorship of sporting events.
But it this first step that is the most dras
tic — and the most troublesome.
President Clinton, of course, is excited
about the new policy. He said last week that
the government has “drawn a line where
our children are concerned. From now on,
in every store in America, our children will
be told: No ID, no sale.”
Yeah, right.
It isn’t that federal intervention
is inherently bad. It’s just that the
ur cynicism over government in
tervention continues.
Despite the new rules, teenage smokers
will still light up just as often. Local high
school hangouts will be still be littered with
cigarette butts. Young people will still find
a way to get what they want, no matter what
stands in their way.
This isn’t to say we shouldn’t try to stop
underage smoking or other teenage prob
lems. But such an empty political statement
will only hurt any real attempts to solve the
problems plaguing today’s youth.
First, teenage smokers usually don’t ob
tain cigarettes from the usual channels.
While a legal smoker can walk into any con
venience or grocery store to support his or
her habit, things are bit more difficult for
the underaged. The method of sales the gov
ernment is trying so hard to block isn’t even
used on a regular basis.
Also, most stores had policies similar to
the federal edict already in effect. And
many teenagers who did choose to buy their
cigarettes straight from stores say they never
had any problem, despite the supposed
“zero-tolerance” policy. If underage smok
ers could get cigarettes then, why would it
be any difficult now?
Clerks were willing to sell to minors be
fore the federal policy, and will continue to
do so. Judging the “appearance” of being 27
or older is highly subjective, and it only
takes a lackadaisical or simply unethical
employee to render such a policy useless.
And such clerks are numerous.
The FDA is proposing a 10-state series of
stings and other operations in order to enforce
the new policy. Unfortunately, such moves
will do little to stop the problem in the face of
such widespread employee misconduct.
The FDA acknowledges that the new pol
icy could be seen as “excessive” by some.
But really, it doesn’t cut deep enough.
The problem of teenagers smoking is part
of a warped national image of the habit and
what it represents, especially among young
people. Smoking, while not as debonair as
it once was, is still seen as "cool” by many.
Movie stars like Johnny Depp and Drew
Barrymore are infamous chain smokers,
and have a large teenage following.
The image of cool smoking is also perpet
uated in advertising, movies and television.
Despite the huge negative backlash, young
people can still see something in smoking
that is attractive.
In Oregon, anti-smoking education pro
grams from Measure 44 will help a bit, but
the government must make smoking look
bad in more than just classrooms to stop
teenage use.
At its heart, the new FDA policy is just a
symbolic, political gesture with no poten
tially tangible results. Teenage smoking
cannot be solved by empty words and rules.
Instead, it will take a long widespread
movement to deglamorize the habit that has
only just begun.
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board.
WINNERS
Ron Wyden
The freshman senator is already making a
name for himself by proposing a Medicare
bill that would cut spending for the program.
Mary Slaney
On March 1, the
38-year-old
Oregon native ran
the fastest 1500
meters by a
woman since
1990.
Howard Stem
The shock jock is on
the cover of Entertain
ment Weekly and
Rolling Stone, and his
autobiography, “Pri
vate Parts,” comes to
the big screen today.
USERS
Guido's
The 13th Avenue bar lost its lease and
closed indefinitely on Feb. 23.
Harold Nieholson
The OSU alum and
former CIA agent
pleaded guilty on
March 3 to selling
national secrets to
the Russians.
P.J. Carlesimo
Newspaper reports
of his firing as Port- |
land Trailblazers 1
head coach were
false, but he’s appar- !
entty still not on solid j
ground.
■ In the March 5 article, “Greeks continue
fight against rape," ASUO Greek Liaison
Melissa Freund was quoted as saying, “There
are no other rape prevention education re
sources on campus.”
To clarify, Freund’s intent was to say there
are no other student-run rape prevention re
sources on campus.
■ The EMU Board voted to implement a frac
tion of the fourth proposal concerning EMU
space during its meeting on March 5, not the
entire proposal as reported in the March 6 edi
tion.
The Emerald regrets the errors.
LETTERS
Support farmworkers
We must take issue with President Frohn
mayer’s statement claiming the University
must remain “neutral” in the GardenBurger
boycott. Growers understand the power of
our boycott of GardenBurgers and Flav-R
Pac.
In a recent newsletter, The Oregon Farm
Bureau, a grower organization, called on its
membership to buy Flav-R-Pac and Garden
Burgers in order to oppose farmworkers’ ef
forts to improve living conditions.
The administration of the University, by
continuing to sell Flav-R-Pac and Garden
Burgers at University dining halls, is sup
porting the agenda of groups like the Oregon
Farm Bureau by continuing to sell Garden
Burgers and Flav-R-Pac. This is hardly a
“neutral" position.
As long as NORPAC growers, who grow
and process Flav-R-Pac fruits and vegeta
bles, continue to profit from the mistreat
ment of farmworkers, they have no incentive
to negotiate with farmworkers.
Over 50 religious, labor and environmen
tal organizations understand the necessity of
our boycott and are supporting us. Ecumeni
cal Ministries of Oregon, representing 17
Oregon religious denominations, is calling
on member congregations not to buy NOR
PAC brands, including Flav-R-Pac brand
frozen vegetables and fruits.
The United Farm Workers of America,
AFL-CIO (the union Cesar Chavez founded)
is calling for support of our Flav-R-Pac and
GardenBurger boycott, as is the National
Farm Worker Ministry and Oregon Farm
Worker Ministry.
Oregon farmworkers are the heart of Ore
gon’s booming agricultural industry. They
pick the food we eat. Oregon’s farmworkers
are now asking for your support. Please work
to remove GardenBurgers and Flav-R-Pac for
the University dining halls.
Erik Nicholson
PCUN Field Organization Coordinator
University politics
President David Frohnmayer’s statement
that we “must be careful to be as politically
neutral” as possible when speaking as a Uni
versity (Emerald, Feb. 18), is odious and
ridiculous.
How does Mr. Frohnmayer propose that
we promote this a-politicality? By accepting
grants from the Departments of Energy and
Defense? By profiting from the wage slavery
of Indonesian children (in being paid for the
advertisement of Nike’s Indonesian made
products)?
The University is a fundamentally politi
cal entity. Through forming the thought
processes of the nation’s (mis-) leaders, the
University is inseparable for the political for
mation of the state. The kind of talk which
denies this capacity is cowardly and double
talking, especially in view of the harm to the
farmworkers that is directly engendering.
In his establishment of the administra
tion’s two-faced and false a-politicalness,
Frohnmayer has long since lost his opportu
nity to help lead the struggle for human
rights and Oregon’s abused farmworkers.
Though not unexpected, this is a disap
pointment. Our leaders lost, we only have
ourselves and our solidarity. As they pro
mote the reprehensible treatment of Ore
gon’s farmworkers through their cooperation
with Flav-R-Pac.
Aric Bright
Comparative Literature