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House Votes to Regulate Tobacco as a Drug

Reynolds American statement on House passage of FDA regulation

Reynolds American Inc., P.O. Box 2990, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2990
Contact: Maura Payne(336) 741-6996, Steve Kottak(336) 741-3372

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - July 30, 2008 - Reynolds American and its operating companies do not oppose additional reasonable federal regulation of tobacco products, but we do not support the bill passed in the House today.

The seminal public policy issue regarding tobacco use is how to achieve effective and meaningful reductions in the death and diseases caused by tobacco use, given that tobacco products are likely to continue to be legal for adults to use, and that many will do so for the foreseeable future.

We believe there is a need for public health policies that are broader than the abstinence-only, one-size-fits-all approach embodied in this bill.

Public health policies and regulation should recognize that while no tobacco product has been shown to be safe, some present more risk than others. Policies should encourage users of higher-risk products, like cigarettes, who can't or won't quit tobacco use altogether to switch to nicotine products or to tobacco products that present lower risk.

Similarly, sound public policy and regulation should encourage manufacturers to develop new tobacco products that have the potential to reduce harm. The bill passed by the House would, in fact, make it more difficult to bring such products to market.

We also believe there is a need for meaningful, informed choice by adult consumers. Adult tobacco consumers have no easy way to understand and compare the risks between products. Governments, public health associations, tobacco manufacturers and others should provide consumers with accurate information, based on sound science, on the different levels of risks posed by various types of tobacco products.

Last October, in the medical journal The Lancet, Dr. John Britton and Dr.

Richard Edwards, wrote: "We believe that the absence of effective harm reduction options for smokers is perverse, unjust, and acts against the rights and best interests of smokers and the public health. Addicted smokers have a right to choose from a range of safer nicotine products, as well as accurate and unbiased information to guide that choice."

When it comes to the risks associated with tobacco use, adults deserve to know the comparative risks between different product types so that they can make an informed choice to quit using tobacco altogether, or switch to a lower-risk product. This bill, unfortunately, would only make it harder for consumers to get that kind of information.

ABOUT US - Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Conwood Company, LLC; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc; and R.J. Reynolds Global Products, Inc. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company is the second-largest U.S. tobacco company. The company's brands include five of the 10 best-selling cigarettes in the United States: Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Winston and Doral.

Conwood Company, LLC is the nation's second-largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products. Its leading brands are Kodiak, Grizzly and Levi Garrett. Conwood also sells and distributes a variety of tobacco products manufactured by Lane, Limited, including Winchester and Captain Black little cigars, and Bugler roll-your-own tobacco.

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc. manufactures Natural American Spirit cigarettes and other additive-free tobacco products, and manages and markets other super-premium brands.

R.J. Reynolds Global Products, Inc., directly or through others, manufactures, sells and/or distributes American-blend cigarettes, including Natural American Spirit, and other tobacco products to a variety of customers in selected markets outside the United States.

Copies of RAI's news releases, annual reports, SEC filings and other financial materials are available at www.ReynoldsAmerican.com.

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Read more on this subject:
FDA chief: Regulating tobacco could be harmful - Proposed law would give agency power to cut cigarette nicotine levels.
Kicking Butt - The International Fight Against Tobacco
Careful what you wish for - The FDA would gain the power to regulate tobacco products
The Untold Story of - How & Why Philip Morris is Pushing for FDA Regulation
Statement of Senator Edward M. Kennedy on: The Need For FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products
Ted and Henry Camel - It's not surprising that Democrats Ted Kennedy and Henry Waxman are promoting something called "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." But you'll never guess who else is thrilled by their proposal: the Marlboro Man himself.

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Tobacco Bill Aids Philip Morris, Not Health - All this bill would do is give a perception that cigarettes and other tobacco products are approved for sale by the FDA . . . (read more)

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Cigarette Smoking Statistics - In the United States, an estimated 25.1 million men
(23.4 percent) and 20.9 million women (18.5 percent) are smokers. These people are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. (more)

Kicking Butt - The International Fight Against Tobacco

FDA chief: Regulating tobacco could be harmful - Proposed law would give agency power to cut cigarette nicotine levels.

Careful what you wish for - The FDA would gain the power to regulate tobacco products

The Untold Story of - How & Why Philip Morris is Pushing for FDA Regulation

Statement of Senator Edward M. Kennedy on: The Need For FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products

Ted and Henry Camel - It's not surprising that Senator Ted Kennedy and Congressman Henry Waxman are promoting something called "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." But you'll never guess who else is thrilled by their proposal: the Marlboro Man himself.

Secondhand Smoke - According to the Mayo Clinic, 60 of the more than 4,000 chemicals that comprise secondhand cigarette smoke are carcinogenic and can linger in the air . . .

Secondhand Smoke - Bans on smoking in cars with kids catching out nationwide . . .

Secondhand Smoke -Secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer by about 25 percent in non-smokers and can be especially dangerous for children living with smokers . . .

To Read More - Click here

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