Republican senator urges tobacco ban

WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI) -- A Republican U.S. senator who also is a physician is seeking to ban cigarette smoking and other tobacco use.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla, a staunch free-market conservative, says lawmakers should stand up to the tobacco industry and ban smokes and chews, The Hill reported Friday.

"What we should be doing is banning tobacco," Coburn said recently on the Senate floor during a debate on a tobacco regulation bill. "Nobody up here has the courage to do that. It is a big business. There are millions of Americans who are addicted to nicotine. And even if they are not addicted to the nicotine, they are addicted to the habit."

While not outright banning its use, lawmakers have made buying tobacco products difficulty by raising fees and imposing regulations. For example, the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program is funded in part with a 62-cent federal tax on cigarettes.

The Senate also is expected to pass next week the Family Smoking Prevention Tobacco Control Act, which would authorize the Food and Drug Administration to restrict the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products, the Washington publication said.

"If we really want to make a difference in health and we want to eliminate dependence on tobacco, what we have to do is to stop the addiction," Coburn said.