Tobacco Documents Online

Novntber 10•, 1993 6t-30-7z0a BZi(ET) AIIe-TQ World News Tonight Peter. JenrYings, anc3sor: 1[elve another medical report tonight en the daagersot smoking. A ptudy in the Journal o!•th. Rmerioan XQdical Association says that in 1990, tobacco was the biggest underlying cause of death in the United States, responsible for four hundred thousand deaths. By underlying, they mean going beyond the iasediate illnesses such as cancer or heart disease to- lincd out why poc3pla became sick in the first place. Tob~cco, snid the resear.chers, caused more deaths than drugs, guns, risky sex, and auto accidents oombined. . . - - ~~ont'dl

-Ltf- Wall, there does seea to be a Q~ovinq public acceptance of the fact that smoking is deadly. The sentiment, however, is only beginning to catch on in tobacco country itself. ABC's Al Dale is in North Carolina. Al Dala reporting: In much on North Carolina, smoking is not just tolerated, it is appreciated. Four hundred thousand jobs depend on tobacco, the state's number one cash cropy and efforts to restrict smoking often meet with undisguised.hostility. Unidentified Woman: Tobacco pays my bills. I would not go to a restaurant that you could not ssoke at. Dale: I look around. I don't see a no-smoking section. Unidentified Man: We have one. It"s outsida. Dalea But in the past few months, things have begun to change. 'Mora. than halt of the stata0s ona ~hut~dr counties have adopted* some form of.ssoking restrictions, torcinq-people outside to indulqe their habit. The flurry: of regulations resulted from a nev state lav. This summer the state legislature passed a relatively mild smok£nq law that, -in-effect, quarantaed cwokers at least twenty percent of the space in all public buildings. But the state lett the door open for local governmants to go further in protecting noA- smokers.froe second-hand smoke. . ! Zn Greensboro, vhere the Lorilard Tobacco Company is a major employer, the county health departmant adoptad-rules that will ban'saokinq in public places by the end of next year. That outraged many people_, including county commissioners who say. they viil replace anti-smokinq members of the health board.' Joe lfood. (county Comomissioaier) : The health board lailed to look at this from an economic standpoint as vell as a public health standpoint. Dale: so it's likely that the regulations will be rescinded before qoinq into effect. That would please a lot of people here who say that smoking is not harmful. Radio- Show Call-In: I don't believe that.second-hand saoke-stutf.: Brad* lCrantz (Tal]c Show Host)s You donIt believe it? Callar:..Nab. 1Crantzi. Welcome to HorthCarolia=. Welcome to North Carolina, where lung cancer is not a medical taat• it*'s an op121f on. Dale:-But all across tht state, even die-nard ssokers admit.that:restrictions are coming, but not vitbout a fight. .A1.Dale, ABC News, Greensboro, North Carolina. f I I