364 



The committee should be aware of the fact that cigarettes are an agriculturally 

 based commodity and that the quality and smoking characteristics of tobacco, the primary 

 raw material, can vary greatly from fann to farm and year to year. To ensure that any 

 particular brand of cigarette tastes and smokes the same from month to month and year to 

 year, tobacco companies must blend their products for consistency. 



The committee should also be aware that any suggestions — however erroneous — 

 that Reynolds Tobacco or any other manufacturer manipulates the nicotine levels in its 

 products to create, maintain or satisfy an "addiction" would also indict, as drugs, a wide 

 variety of consumer products industries that maintain product consistency and offer a 

 variety of brand-style choices. 



For example, soft drinks are available with varying caffeine levels, and caffeine-free 

 versions are also available. Using the same logic that is being used to argue that cigarettes 

 should be regulated as a drug, one could argue that the FDA should be regulating soft 

 drinks as a drug, since: 1) unlike the practice of cigarette manufacturers with respect to 

 nicotine, soft-drink manufacturers routinely add caffeine (a substance that so-called 

 "caffeine addicts" seek because of its properties as a stimulant) to some of their products; 

 and 2) soft-drink manufacturers have the ability to reduce or eliminate naturally occurring 

 caffeine. 



Similarly, American consumers can now buy beverages that have alcohol contents 

 ranging from less than .05 percent (so-called "non-alcoholic" beer) to 190 proof (95 

 percent alcohol), with choices available for many proof levels in between. Alcohol is a 

 physically addictive intoxicant that is often used to relieve stress and anxiety. 

 Nonetheless, Reynolds Tobacco is not aware of any serious proposals for the FDA to 

 regulate wine, beer or spirits as a drug. 



The bottom line is, smokers are no different from other American consumers in 

 their demand for variety and choice (as evidenced by the fact that, today, the average 

 supermarket stocks 30,000 different items). American cigarette manufacturers currently 

 produce more than 500 cigarette brand styles, and the fact that those styles offer a variety 

 of tastes and "tar" yields, is entirely consistent with the American consumers' preference 

 for variety and choice. ### 



