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 Statement of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company 



R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company ("Reynolds Tobacco") welcomes this opportunity 

 to respond to the inaccurate and misleading attacks that have precipitated these hearings. 

 For the past several weeks, Reynolds Tobacco and the rest of the tobacco industry have 

 been bombarded with spurious and inflammatory claims. Our responses to these charges 

 are simple and straightforward: 



• Does Reynolds Tobacco add nicotine to its products? No. 



• Does Reynolds Tobacco manipulate nicotine yields to create, maintain, 

 or satisfy "addiction"? Again, the answer is no. 



• Does Reynolds Tobacco hold patents for technology that relates to 

 modification of nicotine yields independent of "tar" yields? Yes. In 

 fact, for years some governments, smoking and health critics, and 

 international public health scientists have encouraged such 

 developments in cigarette design. 



• Is Reynolds Tobacco using such technology commercially? No. 



• Is cigarette smoking an "addiction"? No, cigarette smoking is not an 

 "addiction" under any meaningful definition of the term, including the 

 new definition presented by Dr. Kessler before this Subcommittee. 



There is no factual or policy basis to regulate or ban cigarettes as drugs simply because they 



contain nicotine or simply because cigarette manufacturers have the ability to reduce the 



nicotine yields of their products. This company is not engaged in some sinister plot to 



deceive the American smoker. 



Progress or Prohibition 



If this Subcommittee fairly and objectively evaluates the true facts about cigarette 



design, it must find that the efforts of Reynolds Tobacco and others in the industry 



demonstrate a remarkable record of achievement and progress. This company is justifiably 



proud of those accomplishments and of the dedicated and talented employees who have 



