529 



Mr. Synar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me commend you and 

 Mr. Wyden both for this very historic day on which we begin this 

 journey. 



Fifty milHon Americans are addicted to smoking. Four hundred 

 and twenty thousand of our fellow citizens die each year because 

 of tobacco and tobacco-related illnesses. Americans want to know 

 why. Americans also want to know why American CEO's and exec- 

 utive continue to deny basic responsibility that they are not ac- 

 countable for 1,000 deaths every day of the year in this country. 



Americans want to know why corporate executives in America 

 deny that their companies prey upon children as they spend $4 bil- 

 lion advertising and promoting a product to the most vulnerable in 

 our society. And Americans want to know, very simply, why cor- 

 porate executives in this great country of ours continue to deny 

 consumers basic information so that they can make informed deci- 

 sions. 



Today, at long last, we're going to get some of those answers. I 

 look forward to today's hearing, and as the chairman said, this is 

 the first step in a long journey. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Synar follows:] 



Opening Statement of Hon. Mike Synar 



Ladies and Gentlemen, I am thrilled to be here, face to face, with the Chief Exec- 

 utive Officers and Chief Researchers from the seven largest cigarette and oral to- 

 bacco companies in the United States. 



From their written testimony, I see that they are issuing the same blanket deni- 

 als that they have clung to for the past 30 years. 



These denials are simply no longer acceptable to this subcommittee or to the 

 American people. 



Fifty million Americans are addicted to smoking. They want to know why. They 

 want to know all 700 ingredients, not just the 599 released yesterday in cigarettes 

 and oral tobacco and how these ingredients affect their bodies. They want to make 

 sure that tobacco companies are not preying on children. 



Today, the tobacco industry, instead of continuing its attack on my bill, H.R. 2147 

 (which would give the FDA broad regulatory authority over tobacco while prohibit- 

 ing the Agency from banning it) has instead tried to cast shadows on the credibility 

 of two of the most respected health officials in our country: Dr. David Kessler, the 

 Commissioner of the FDA, and Dr. Greg Connolly, a representative of the American 

 Public Health Association. 



Why is this necessary? Why not just provide this subcommittee with solid, honest 

 answers? 



This is a simply case of corporate responsibility. We require that Kraft cheese, 

 owned by Philip Morris, list its ingredients on the back of the package. Marlboros, 

 although exempted from every other regulation, cannot be allowed to cast its smoke 

 screen over the health of Americans. Any other company that even attempted what 

 the tobacco companies have done to the health of America's youth would have been 

 sued out of existence years ago. 



I hope that this hearing reveals some real answers about this deadly product, and 

 gives some desperately needed information to the 50 million Americans addicted to 

 cigarettes and oral tobacco. 



Mr. Waxman. I thank you, Mr. Synar. Mr. McMillan? 



Mr. McMillan. I thank the chairman. And thank you for taking 

 the time to investigate further this most important issue. Espe- 

 cially, I would like to thank you for giving the tobacco industry an 

 opportunity to come in and directly explain some of the complex- 

 ities of the issues which have been raised in recent weeks and 

 years, confusing so many in this chamber. 



It is extremely important that we pause long enough to listen 

 and to get a clear understanding of what is at stake. I should point 



