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HEALTH COMMUNITY BACKS PRESIDENT'S TOBACCO STATEMENT:

MCCAIN BILL MUST BE STRENGTHENED,
INDUSTRY GIVEAWAYS ELIMINATED

President Clinton's statement today that the new comprehensive tobacco bill being promoted by Senator John McCain "is a strong step in the right direction" shows that it isn't yet strong enough, and is still regarded as being far too generous to the tobacco industry, says Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), America's oldest and largest antismoking organization.

Virtually every antismoking, medical, public health, and other civic organization has demanded that the bill be strengthened, not weakened, and that immunity for the tobacco industry be removed. Here are some of their statements:

* AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION: "Despite tobacco's hollow pro- tests, the Commerce bill is still another sweetheart deal for the companies."

* FORMER FDA COMMISSIONER DR. DAVID KESSLER: "On the issues that matter most to reduce the number of children who smoke, the bill doesn't measure up."

* AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH PHYSICIANS: "This bill is overwhelmingly pro-industry and anti-public-health."

* COALITION FOR WORKERS' HEALTH CARE FUNDS: "In spite of Big Tobacco's public protestations to the contrary, the tobacco bill sponsored by Senator McCain and the Senate Commerce Committee is a victory for the tobacco companies."

* PROF. RICHARD DAYNARD, TOBACCO PRODUCT LIABILITY PROJECT: "The industry has done nothing to earn these unique benefits."

* "SAVE LIVES, NOT TOBACCO" COALITION [OVER 300 GROUPS]: [The McCain bill] "resembles the discredited industry deal and falls far short of the principles and goals of "Save Lives, Not To- bacco" and other health and consumer groups."

* FORMER SURGEON GENERAL DR. C. EVERETT KOOP: "I cannot support this bill as its stands. Its programs to reduce the number of children who smoke are too weak and its protections of the tobacco industry are too strong."

* AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION: "Sen. McCain's bill is a good start. But we must do better. . . ."We will not let the tobacco industry kill the progress made so far by Congress in protecting the American people."

ASH believes that it is unlikely that President Clinton would sign a bill granting immunity to the tobacco industry which is opposed by so many of the public health organizations.

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