Tobacco Documents Online

477 Den Road Stamford, CT 069013' March 5, 19'8'2' Mr. Richard! Perlmutter Professional Staff Member Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation 5202'Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Mr. Perlmutter: This is to request your support in defeating S. 192'9. This Bill represents bad legislation and will succeed~only in generating another costly government bureaucracy. To the best of my knowledge, there•is no evidence -- or even the basis for a plausible assumption -- that the public is unaware of the alleged connection between cigarette smoking and potential health problems. Smokers smoke because they choose to in spite. of considerable social pressure. Therefore,, it makes absolutely no sense for new government programs to further expand upon whatt the Department of Health and Human Services is now doing to edu- cate the public. Publishing a rotating schedule of health warnings on all cigarette packages and advertising would not only be ineffective but would also be extremely costly and an administrative nightmare for thee tobacco manufacturers and their suppliers. Importantly,.S. 1929' also represents another attempt to push ad!- vertising regulation beyond any previously accepted bounds by those who would have the government totally control our lives. There are serious restrictive implications in this Bill that could!set un- fortunate precedence in many areas beyond'the tobacco industry and, therefore, it is extremely important that this Bill be killed.. Sincerely, C0 Donald R. Bigdai ~ ~..~ C111 ~0