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I U I I I I I I , I I L L L L Michigan Public Health Association. Inc. Affiliated with American Public Health Association mgxxTvvx )mxttsexX-x)a x=kX xxxlmx x xxit xx xxKX XIic xkX I Suite 340, Nisbet Building, 1407 S. Harrison, East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-7271 October 7, 1980 Citizens' Panel on Smoking and Health Lansing, Michigan Members of the Panel: I am privileged to present the views of the Michigan Public Health Association for your consideration. The Association represents the professional heart of public health in Michigan across a wide array of disciplines and programs. As public health workers, our members see in daily work the tremendous costs of smoking. Thus, our view that smoking is a severe public health hazard deserves great weight as an expression of professional opinion based on experience as well as data. Smoking is without a doubt public health enemy number one. 375,000 excess deaths per year nation-wide are ascribed to this habit, and Michigan shares proportionately in this grim statistic. Also without a doubt, however, meaningful reductions in smoking are not readily susceptible to direct governmental intervention. But a broad attack on many fronts, including the symbolic, will gradually reduce the social support currently provided to smoking. The Michigan Public Health Association, therefore, strongly endorses your work to date as consistent with the letter and the spirit of_our resolutions on the subject of smoking and health. These resolutions are attached for your review. Thank you for the opportunity to present MPHA's views for the record. I regret I am unable to attend your October 8 hearing to present them personally. I stand prepared as President of i4PHA and as a public health professional to help'implement the Panel's final report. Michael Cardin, J.D., Dr.P.H. President Attachments