Tobacco Documents Online

sunaN WABC-Tv ptoaxAm ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT aff NY DAU 03/15/93 06 : S6PM ALpMW¢t SMECT TOBACCO INDUSTRY PETER JENNINGS (Host): Tonight, an apparent contradiction. Given that the government goes out of its way to publicize the dangers of smoking, why are millions of tax dollars being spent every year to help farmers grow and sell tobacco? Here's ABC's John Martin. - JOHN MARTIN (Reporter) : For more than 50 years, tobacco farmers have had an extra field.band at their side, Uncle Sam. IIntil 1982, he paid them a subsidy-to help them grow tobacco. The.n, with the government warning of dangers to health from smoking, some in Congress wanted to end all assistance. So, there was a compromise. Henceforth, the government would only lead money to tobacco farmers to produce their crops. So, today, the Agriculture Department likes to point out tobacco farmers get no subsidy. But, under orders from Congress, the Agriculture Department does provide a series of services. The Agriculture Department administers those loans to growers. Cost in a recent year, 14.8 million dollars. tcar.a

-16_ MAR 16 1993 rowgj Government crop experts advise growers how to avoid or eliminate pests and weeds, cost 800 thousand dollars. Government economists and statisticians-analyze and report production, price levels, market news, and trends for tobacco growers and traders, cost $1,800,006. The government offers two services administrators don't want you to see. c3overnment ociaa.tists refused to let us photograph inside their laboratories to show tobacco research they carry out for growers, cost 7,000,000 tax dollars.- Oovexziment managers refused to let us photograph inside these offices where they administer the tobacco crop insurance program, cost 12.9 tnillion dollars. The cigarette companies and their parent corporations sell vast amounts of tobacco. In a recent year, RJR Nabisco had 13.8 billion dollars in sales, American Brands 8.2 billion, Lorillard 1.2 billion dollars. If Uncle Sam decided the cigarette companies could afford to pay for these services, eliminating all government assistance for the growing and marketing of tobacco would save the taxpayers about 40 million dollars a year. John Martin, ABC News, Lexington, Kentucky. • t : JENNINGS: So, here's some other choices for that money, 40 million dollars would represent a nearly 5o percent increase in the National Cancer Institute's budget for lung cancer research, or it would pay to vaccinate 310,000 children against conmmon childhood d.iseasee. That's our report on World News Tonight. 'I'm-Peter Jennings, Nightline later. Aave a good evening, good night.