by James J. Morgan

About the author: James J. Morgan is president and chief executive officer of Philip Morris U.S.A., a Richmond, Virginia-based cigarette manufacturer.

In May 1996, President Bill Clinton spoke to a group of high school students in Woodbridge, New Jersey, about tobacco. The president directed some of his comments to the tobacco industry. “Join with us,” he said, “do not stay outside of and apart from this debate.”

A Proposal to Restrict Teenage Use of Tobacco

The following week, Philip Morris U.S.A. and the United States Tobacco Co. accepted the president’s challenge. Together, we proposed federal legislation to address the issue of underage tobacco use.

This initiative builds on our commitment that minors should not use or...