531 



gaged in an enterprise that is sure to kill some of our children. I 

 hope today that you will tell us how you all can live with such a 

 killing record on your conscience. 



Now, this issue, in my view, is no longer a matter of free choice. 

 It's clear that nicotine is addictive, and it's clear that people get 

 hooked and they can't get off. The same is true of second-hand 

 smoke. We have innocent bystanders that are hurt as the result of 

 second-hand smoke, so this is no longer a matter of free choice. 

 And I hope you will answer to us exactly how you all think that 

 it is a matter of people just exercising an individual preference. 



Finally, let me wrap up by saying that yesterday you all treated 

 the American people to a chemical smorgasbord, and you put out 

 a list of all these additives and, in effect, said that they are all safe. 

 Well, I have a letter here from the Centers for Disease Control that 

 disagrees with you. And let me read it to you. 



"We cannot categorically state that any of the ingredients are ei- 

 ther safe or hazardous without a reference to a specific dosage, and 

 we are unable to determine hazardous risk for any of the sub- 

 stances." 



You all didn't put out the quantities of chemicals that are used 

 in cigarette products. You didn't put it out in terms of each brand 

 of cigarettes, I'm going to make this letter from the Centers for 

 Disease Control available to each of you, because it makes it very 

 clear that until you put out that quantity of chemical that is used, 

 it cannot be declared that these additives are safe. 



Mr. Chairman, again, I commend you and our colleague, Mike 

 Synar, for many years of work, and I look forward to our witnesses. 



Mr. Waxman. I thank you, Mr. Wyden. Mr. Greenwood? 



Mr. Greenwood. Mr. Chairman, in the interest of time, I'd like 

 to forgo an opening statement. I look forward to hearing from the 

 witnesses. 



Mr. Waxman. Thank you. And Mr. Bryant? 



Mr, Bryant. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I commend you for put- 

 ting this together and I am glad that we have the executives here 

 today, I would just like to say that while I do not think I have ever 

 voted with your industry, I have not been an anti-smoking zealot 

 by any definition, 



I got into my teenager's car a couple of weeks ago and flipped 

 open the glove compartment. There was a pack of Camel cigarettes 

 which, ironically, is the same brand of cigarettes which my grand- 

 father smoked, who died of lung cancer, after smoking your prod- 

 ucts for his entire life, when I was in the sixth grade. 



I have always believed that the best way to raise kids is to let 

 them have experience in life and make their own rational choices. 

 But the problem with this is that I am not arguing with reason 

 here, I am arguing with the fact that your product is addictive, de- 

 priving him and millions of other Americans of the ability to make 

 a rational choice. And I think we are going to have to talk about 

 that today. 



In my view, the question raised by Mr. Wyden, about your moral 

 responsibility to your fellow human beings is right at the center of 

 this discussion. And I am one of millions of parents who is trying 

 to figure out how to deal with this without forgoing the right of 

 your child to have experiences and make reasonable decisions? 



