132 



I, too, would like to welcome you, Mr. Sandefur, to this hearing, 

 particularly because we had a hearing a couple of days ago in 

 which charges against your company were made regarding a to- 

 bacco plant called Y-1 and its use in nicotine and the like. I hope 

 you will use this opportunity to enlighten this subcommittee and 

 this Congress on the history of Brown & Williamson and Y-1, so 

 that we can separate fact from fiction or maybe it is better to say 

 smoke from mirrors in this debate. 



I thank you for coming and I thank you for what I know will be 

 your candid answers to the subcommittee's questions. 



I am also glad to see and recognize our colleague from Georgia 

 who represents your Macon, Georgia plant. Congressman Bishop. 

 Sanford, nice to see you this morning. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Waxman. Thank you, Mr. Bliley. 



Mr. Synar. 



Mr. Synar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



And Mr. Sandefur, welcome back to the committee. America and 

 the Congress really can no longer talk about the need for health 

 care reform and at the same time bury our heads in the sand when 

 it comes to the oversight, regulation, and control of tobacco prod- 

 ucts. 



It is time to stop this vicious cycle of addiction, disease, and 

 death. The documents involved in today's hearings will bear wit- 

 ness to the tobacco industries' 40 year deceptive campaign of misin- 

 formation which has resulted in the unnecessary and premature 

 deaths of 10 million of our fellow Americans. 



We now have over 60,000 scientific studies showing that ciga- 

 rettes cause death and disease. We have had over 20 Surgeon Gen- 

 eral's reports reach the same conclusions. The time for action is 

 now. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of 

 first Surgeon General's report, we have to ask ourselves, when we 

 will fulfill our responsibilities to protect the health of the American 

 public. Today's hearing will help us along that way. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



[The prepared statement of Hon. Mike Synar follows:] 



Statement of Hon. Mike Synar 



Dr. Kessler's recent testimony on Y-1 and the documents involved in today's hear- 

 ing bear witness to the tobacco industry's 40 year deceptive campaign of misin- 

 formation which has resulted in the unnecessary premature deaths of 10 million 

 Americans. Brown & Williamson, although under the spotlight today, only has sales 

 amounting to 11 percent of the cigarette market. This subcommittee is still waiting 

 for Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds, which control 80 percent of the market, to dis- 

 close the internal and company financed research and marketing research which 

 this subcommittee requested 2 months ago. 



The Congress can no longer seriously talk about the need for health care reform 

 and at the same time bury our heads in the sand when it comes to the oversight, 

 regulation and control of tobacco products. It is time to end this vicious cycle of ad- 

 diction, disease, and death. Unlike other legal products in our society, tobacco prod- 

 ucts which cause 420,000 deaths each and every year are products which are not 

 regulated in any way. In spite of the industry's public relations campaign to con- 

 vince the Congress and the American public that it is a responsible inaustry, its ac- 

 tions have shown that it has one motive and one motive only — to sell cigarettes to 

 maximize its profits. 



Are we going to have to witness the next generation of children seduced by the 

 billions of dollars of seductive advertising? Is the American public going to continue 

 to be denied information they are entitled to about this deadly product? Will the 



