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Legal Issues
Court Case A
1994 Congressional Testimony
On April 14, 1994, chief exectutives of seven
major tobacco companies testified under oath before the Subcommittee
on Health and the Environment of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
These following exchanges show the tobacco industry's strategies
of deception and misrepresentation.
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Congressman Waxman questioned Andrew Tisch, the
CEO of Lorillard.
Mr Waxman: In a deposition last year you were
asked whether cigarette smoking causes cancer. Your answer was "I
don't believe so."Do you stand by that answer today?
Mr. Tisch: I do sir.
Mr Waxman: Do you understand how isolated you
are in the belief from the entire scientific community?
Mr. Tisch: I do sir.
Mr. Waxman: You're the head of manufacturing of
a product that has been accused by the overwhelming scientific community
to cause cancer. You don't know? Do you have an interest of finding
out?
Mr. Tisch: I do sir.
Mr. Waxman: And what have you done to pursue that
interest?
Mr. Tisch: We have looked at the data and the
data that we have been able to see has all been statistical data
that has not convinced me that smoking causes death.
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William I. Campbell, President and CEO of Phillip
Morris gave the following statements in his testimony.
I. "Philip Morris does not manipulate nor independently
control the level of nicotine in our products."
II. "Cigarette smoking is not addictive."
III. "Phillip Morris research does not establish that smoking is
addictive."
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James W. Johnston, CEO of RJ Reynolds gave the
following statement in his testimony.
..."smoking is no more addictive that coffee,
tea, or Twinkies."
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All of these statements made by the CEO's of big
tobacco are proved to be false by both scientific research outside
of the tobacco industry as well as within the tobacco industry.
Such well respected and major health organizations such as the Office
of the U.S. Surgeon General, the World Health Organization, the
American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association,
the American Psychological Association, the American Society of
Addiction Medicine and the Medical Research Council in the United
Kingdom acknowledge that smoking, namely nicotine, is addictive
and has major health consequences including but not limited to cancers,
emphysema, and death.
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