4. R.J. Reynolds on the health hazards of cigarettes
 Heads of the nation's largest cigarette companies are sworn in before a House Energy subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, April 14, 1994. (AP Photo/Johnn Duricka, File) |
“Cigarette smoking is no more ‘addictive’ than coffee, tea or Twinkies.”
—James W. Johnston, CEO of RJR Nabisco, April 14, 1994 For over half a century, American cigarette manufacturers denied that their products were addictive and dangerous, and suppressed their own research that confirmed it. The quote comes from written testimony submitted in a 1994 congressional hearing during which executives from the seven largest tobacco companies admitted that there “may be” some health risks to smoking, but denied that cigarettes were addictive, and that they manipulated nicotine levels to make them more so. A court order compels tobacco companies to apologize in a series of advertisements that will appear in major newspapers and other media if their appeals are rejected. |
