BIG TOBACCO'S DECEITFUL SMOKE SCREEN

CHICAGO -- The American public would consider itself at war and demand that
its leaders take action if a foreign power was responsible for the toll in
lost lives and health costs exacted every day by tobacco products.

Each day that Americans wait for Congress to act on effective tobacco
control legislation, 1,000 more people die from tobacco-related illnesses;
3,000 more children start using tobacco products; and tobacco-related health
care costs continue to soar into the billions of dollars.

The American Heart Association has been on the front line of the fight
against the deadly effects of tobacco products for decades. Today, at last,
we see an excellent opportunity for the passage of comprehensive
tobacco-control legislation. We believe that this is a priority issue that
can save lives and protect the health of millions of Americans. Nearly half
a million of our loved ones, friends and acquaintances die of
smoking-related illnesses every year. The saddest fact of all is that those
deaths are preventable.

The tobacco settlement last June gave the tobacco industry an opportunity to
take a responsible part in determining a real solution. The industry had a
place at the table, but it decided to walk away. Once again the tobacco
industry elected to put its self-interests ahead of the urgent need to end
under-age smoking and protect public health.

As a result, the more than 4 million volunteers for the American Heart
Association, working in concert with other public health organizations, are
asking our fellow Americans to become active advocates for a process that
can and must go on without tobacco industry participation. We must encourage
U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin and Carol Moseley-Braun to strengthen the McCain
bill in the Senate and then we must deliver the word to Congress that a
majority of Americans want strong, effective and meaningful tobacco control
laws.

Its recent actions clearly indicate that Big Tobacco is most inclined to
abandon responsibility and put its tremendous financial resources behind the
creation of a smoke screen: The industry is now launching a
multimillion-dollar campaign that will attempt to divert the public's
attention to "big taxes" and "big government."

We cannot allow the industry to sidetrack or dilute tobacco-control
legislation with other issues. Remember that the tobacco industry lied when
it told us that smoking is not dangerous. It lied when it told us that
smoking is not addictive. It lied when it stated that cigarette additives
were not harmful. It lied about the danger of secondhand smoke, and it lied
when its officials testified that they were not marketing to children when,
in fact, the tobacco industry was influencing another 3,000 young Americans
to begin smoking every day. All of those deceits are undeniable proof that
the industry can never be trusted.

The time remaining in the current legislative session presents an excellent
opportunity to protect our children and all Americans. Waiting is not just a
matter of lost days. It's a matter of lost lives.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett