BIG TOBACCO ISN'T FOOLING THE PUBLIC

CHICAGO -- The American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago and its
partners in the Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco, which includes the
American Heart Association and 100 other organizations across the state,
share Bruce Dold's disbelief in the tobacco industry ("Hidden agenda,"
Commentary, Sept. 4). He's right when he points out how ridiculous it was
of Big Tobacco to think that people would believe that its $40 million-plus
advertising campaign was all about protecting working people.

Big Tobacco truly believes that people are gullible and will view its
television ads or hear them on the radio and be outraged by another tax by
the government. The truth is that these ads are a slick attempt to detonate
any meaningful tobacco legislation that would keep teens from smoking.

With its campaign, Big Tobacco turned anti-tobacco legislation mentioned by
Mr. Dold in his column into a referendum on big government and on unfair
taxes. What the ads are really about is profits. The tobacco industry and
its high-powered Washington public relations firm and lobbyists know that
an increase in tobacco taxes will reduce teen consumption of cigarettes. A
proposed cigarette tax of $1.10 could cut teenage smoking by as much as 50
percent.

And Big Tobacco can't have that. It needs teen smokers. In Illinois an
estimated 12.9 million packs of cigarettes are sold illegally to minors
resulting in $24 million in sales. Tobacco marketers know that 90 percent
of smokers start when they are in their teens.

Attracting teens is critical to Big Tobacco. It needs 5,000 new underage
smokers each day to replace those smokers who die or quit. If they don't
get them, they'll lose sales and eventually the market will dry up.

The lung association also shares Mr. Dold's assessment of Congress. It is
shameful that Congress backed away from enacting tobacco-control
legislation because members were concerned about the tobacco industry's
reaction.

Big money speaks volumes in Washington, and few politicians are willing to
risk it in order to protect public health.

Many of the proposals that were floated following the defeat of the McCain
bill in the Senate were tobacco industry relief bills disguised as
tobacco-control legislation. Provisions included immunity for Big Tobacco,
controls on class-action lawsuits and other special protections.

Big Tobacco has lied and altered the truth about its product and its
marketing for years. Protecting public health should be the major focus of
any federal legislation, not protecting tobacco industry profits.

Kevin B. Tynan, Board of Directors, American Lung Association of
Metropolitan Chicago.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan