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The second product is legal, and the supplier is welcomed here on Capitol 

 Hill and almost everywhere as a responsible corporate citizen, even though 

 this supplier is also purveying a dangerous product to people who find it 

 difficult to escape its addictive grip. 



Since the first product is illegal, the U.S. government is engaged in a 

 massive effort to stop the delivery of cocaine to prospective users. 



Since the second product is legal, the U.S. government does not stop 

 deliveries of cigarettes. 



I am not advocating that tobacco be made illegal like cocaine, but 1 

 think the point must be made that tobacco companies are peddling harmful 

 drugs. Tobacco companies are our nation's number one drug pushers. 



THE CONTENT OF DEADLY TOBACCO PRODUCTS IS NOT REGULATED 



"But surely," one might ask, "since the second product is known to be 

 dangerous, surely the U.S. government carefully monitors and regulates the 

 content of cigarettes, right?" 



Unfortunately, the answer is no. Tobacco, the single most preventable 

 cause of death in America today, has almost completely escaped regulation of 

 its content. 



Hopefully, the FDA's recent revelations will change this fact. But 

 today, no one regulates the content of cigarettes except the tobacco companies 

 themselves, and they have apparently chosen to manipulate nicotine levels not 

 to protect their customers but to strengthen their addiction. 



If this is true, it is scandalous and outrageous. That American 

 companies might intentionally hook their customers on a deadly product is 

 astounding. Yet the FDA has advised us that it is true. 



REMOVING AN ADDICTIVE AND DANGEROUS INGREDIENT -- THE EXAMPLE OF COCA-COLA VS. 

 THE SHAMEI£SSNESS OF THE TOBACCO COMPANIES 



What would any other upstanding, responsible corporation do, if it was 

 revealed that the corporation's product contained a harmful ingredient that 

 could be removed? It would remove the dangerous additive. 



Consider, as a case in point, the Coca-Cola Company. 



In 1860, cocaine was first extracted from coca leaf. By 1884, purified 

 cocaine was commercially available, and at first cocaine was seen as a wonder 

 drug, a harmless or even beneficial stimulant that enhanced the quality of 

 life. 



In 1886, Coca-Cola was introduced as a drink that was far better than 

 alcohol, offering the advantages of the coca leaf and the cola nut without the 

 intoxicating effects of alcohol. 



But people began to discover that cocaine was addictive. Long-term use 

 tended to have adverse social and behavioral effects. Regular use seemed to 

 be linked with violence and paranoia in some users. The wonder drug turned 

 out to have more troubling side effects than people first thought. 



