729 



peer pressure issue. It was developed by Lifetime Learning Sys- 

 tems, an educational development company. 



We have that program in 10,000 schools in the United States, 

 helping 3 million children a year avoid falling into peer pressure. 

 We use folks like Will Smith, the Fresh Prince who does public 

 service announcements on this issue. We have a program to enforce 

 restrictions on sales to minors. Our company and our industry 

 helped bring the legal age for smoking up to age 18 in something 

 like 18 States. 



We've gone out to retailers. We have 25,000 retailers today co- 

 operating with our Support the Law program, asking for ID's, 

 training clerks to check for ID's. Getting access out of kids' hands 

 is the way to go about it. Most kids don't get their cigarettes in a 

 store. They swipe them from their older brother or sister or par- 

 ents. I would strongly urge parents to keep their cigarettes away 

 from kids. 



We also use actor Danny Glover in that program and as of this 

 year, it is a cooperative effort with the National Jaycees, who have 

 taken this on to help. 



Mr. Bliley. How much, as a company, do you spend on that pro- 

 gram? 



Mr. James Johnston. Mr. Congressman, I don't recall the price, 

 the exact 



Mr. Bliley. Will you submit it for the record? 



Mr. James Johnston. It's millions of dollars per year. Is it 

 enough? I don't know if it's enough. As we find these programs 

 work, we try to extend them. The more they work, the more we're 

 willing to spend. 



Mr. Bliley. Mr. Campbell, do you have any idea how much Phil- 

 ip Morris spends on it? 



Mr. Campbell. I don't know, as well. But it is, again, millions 

 of dollars. Our combined efforts are combined through the Tobacco 

 Institute. You're talking about a substantial amount. As Jim said, 

 we're never quite sure that we're doing enough because we do not 

 want young people to smoke. We're working very closely with our 

 customers, the National Association of Convenience Stores, and the 

 instrumental, which is a logical place for kids to go to get ciga- 

 rettes. 



They are very, very strict about their It's the Law and we're 

 working very closely with them, as well. 



Mr. James Johnston. Mr. Congressman, if I might add, the 

 charge that's always hurled at the industry is you have to go out 

 and recruit these new smokers, you just have to. And the answer 

 is that would be the stupidest thing we can do. I have a huge op- 

 portunity. The opportunity to grow my company is by taking Mr. 

 Campbell's smokers away from him and switching them to my 

 brands and Mr. Tisch's and so forth. There are 30 million smokers 

 who don't smoke R.J. Reynolds brands. 



That's my opportunity. They're already smoking. If I can provide 

 better products and I can communicate that to them through ad- 

 vertising, that's my business. So every time a kid lights up a ciga- 

 rette, we get blamed and we know we get blamed for it, but it 

 would be stupid because the objective of this is to ban advertising. 



