Durbin to Hollywood Actors Puffing E-Cigs: You're Killing Your Fans (Video)

By Niels Lesniewski

Posted January 15, 2014 at 3:24pm

A day after spearheading a letter calling on the Golden Globe Awards to stop showing celebrities using electronic cigarettes, Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin blasted “red hot actors and actresses” for “killing” their fans.

The Illinois Democrat came to the Senate floor to recognize a significant anniversary in the battle against smoking — the 50th anniversary of the surgeon general’s first report regarding the health risks of smoking. “This week, we commemorate the importance of the first surgeon general’s report on smoking and health and the many important legal and cultural changes it touched off in this country,” Durbin said. “But as we look around at the proliferation of new products and see the number of kids who are being courted by the tobacco industry, let’s continue our work. We’re not done.” Durbin also referenced the impetus for <a href="https://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/senators-dont-want-e-cigs-at-the-golden-globes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tuesday’s letter</a>. “They just had the Golden Globe Awards, and some of these red hot actors and actresses who we all love to watch in movies, Leonard DiCaprio (sic) and the others, were puffing away on their e-cigarettes, and I thought, you’re killing the next generation of fans in your movies,” he said. “We’ve got to bring an end to this.” </body>