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Coca-Cola was noc Immune from these concerns. The company says It never 

 Intentionally added cocaine to Coca-Cola, and whatever amount of cocaine was 

 present In Coca-Cola was not present In large quantities. But In the early 

 days, the company did not actively remove the cocaine from the coca extracts 

 it used in producing Coca-Cola. People began to wonder if Coca-Cola was a 

 safe beverage . 



In response to the growing public concern about cocaine, the Coca-Cola 

 Company took action. Around 1900, the company voluntarily began to remove all 

 cocaine from the coca extract it used In producing Coca-Cola. 



That was a clear demonstration of ethical and social responsibility. 



(Incidentally, today, there still exists a manufacturing company in New 

 Jersey that takes Imported coca leaves from Peru and Bolivia and processes 

 them into a non-narcotic flavor extract for use in Coca-Cola as well as a 

 cocaine extract that has pharmaceutical uses. The process is carefully 

 monitored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.) 



Long before federal regulation of cocaine was considered, years before 

 federal regulation of cocaine was enacted, Coca-Cola did the right thing and 

 removed all cocaine from its product. A federal ban on the non-prescription 

 use of cocaine did not take effect until 14 years later, in 1914. 



The parallel should be obvious. Tobacco contains an addictive product, 

 nicotine, which we now have been advised can be removed from tobacco. The 

 obvious, socially responsible act would be for tobacco companies to 

 voluntarily remove this dangerous Ingredient from their products . But not the 

 tobacco companies. They don't seem to have the slightest interest in doing 

 what Coca-Cola did. And that is a clear demonstration of how shameless these 

 nicotine pushers are. 



THE NEED TO REGULATE ALL INGREDIENTS IN TOBACCO 



Mr. Chairman, I look forward to the findings of this hearing regarding 

 nicotine manipulation in tobacco products. The allegations in the media and 

 the statements by the Food and Drug Administration are alarming. I hope that 

 you will get to the bottom of this matter and allow the American public to 

 know the full truth about the role and handling of nicotine in the 

 manufacturing of tobacco products . 



I hope that you won't stop there. We need to investigate, and expose to 

 public scrutiny, the facts about all tobacco ingredients, not just nicotine. 

 All aspects of tobacco product manufacturing must be regulated, not Just 

 nicotine In cigarettes. 



How do we know that the Coca-Cola Company doesn't add harmful ingredients 

 to Coca-Cola and other beverages it sells? We know Coca-Cola and other soft 

 drinks are safe because, like any other foods, these products are subject to 

 federal regulation to protect the public from any potential adverse effects 

 associated with their consumption. The Food and Drug Administration provides 

 an Invaluable service to the American people by regulating the content of 

 these products. 



