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The truth, however, is that the largest of the tobacco companies - Philip Morris - actually
supports this legislation and has made it a chief legislative priority. Apparently, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is misleading the public into
thinking that Big Tobacco is blocking this legislation, when in fact, the largest company within Big Tobacco is lobbying for
the legislation. Presumably, the Campaign is trying to hide Philip Morris' support for the bill in order to garner the
public's support. But the Campaign is not telling the public the whole truth! In contrast to what the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids states, here is what Philip Morris' position actually is. It is taken directly from the company's 2004 annual report: "Although PM USA has been increasingly successful in pursuing its societal
alignment initiatives, regrettably, Congressional legislation providing for regulation of the tobacco industry by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was not passed in 2004. Although this was a significant disappointment, obtaining FDA regulation
of the tobacco industry remains a key priority."
To read more about the deceptive campaign being run by Tobacco-Free Kids and by other anti-smoking groups,
click here, or on the button below:
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The Citizens' Commission to Protect the Truth -- a nonprofit organization created "to help ensure the continuation of truth®, the American Legacy Foundation's youth anti-smoking media campaign -- on February 24, 2005 submitted an amicus brief asking a federal District Court judge to order the tobacco company defendants in the Department of Justice's RICO-based
lawsuit to "fund the Legacy's anti-tobacco truth® campaign to discourage smoking by children
and teens." An excerpt
from the amicus brief summarizes the Citizens' Commision's plea:
However, the Citizens' Commission fails to disclose a major conflict of interest: the Commission is not truly an independent body of citizens who feel that the American Legacy Foundation is an organization that is well worth funding. Instead, the Commission is a group that was funded primarily by the American Legacy Foundation. What the Citizens' Commission fails to disclose in this amicus brief is the fact that the Citizens'
Commission's primary source of funding is a grant from the American Legacy Foundation. According to the Commission's
web site: "Principal funding for The Commission comes from the National Association of Attorneys
General through a $1.5 million pass-through grant from the American Legacy Foundation." In other words, the American
Legacy Foundation is funding a front group that has the appearance of being an independent entity that happens to support
the Foundation's efforts, but which actually relies upon the Foundation as its chief source of funding. It is, like the Tobacco-Free Kids' story to the left, an example of misleading the public.
To read more about the deceptive campaign being run by Tobacco-Free Kids and by other anti-smoking
groups, click here, or on the button below:
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