Family Survivors Talkback

Republican Senators Kill McCain Tobacco Bill

6/17/98

The McCain tobacco bill is dead in the Republican-controlled US Senate. Facing a long list of industry ammendments intended to overburden the bill and smother it to death, tobacco opponents needed to force a final vote. The Republican defenders of big tobacco won and the bill is dead.

The Oregonian reports (6/17/98) that Senator Gordon Smith supported the tobacco industry's efforts to bury the McCain tobacco bill in ammendments. According to the paper, Smith was a last-minute convert to an ammendment, sponsored by Sen.Slade Gorton, Republican of Washington State, which would restrict attorney's fees in lawsuits against the tobacco industry . This law would have the effect of preventing many of the lawsuits against tobacco companies, according to Professor Richard A. Daynard, Chairman of Tobacco Products Liability Project at Northeastern University School of Law. Credible lawsuits against R.J. Reynolds, etc., require plaintiff attorneys to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours of their time with their only hope of compensation contingent on their winning the suit. The day after this latest ammendment passed, the supporters of the tobacco bill lost the critical vote to cut off debate and Republican leaders of the Senate declared the legislation dead.

In spite of this setback, we must remember what former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop has said about tobbacco addiction being a main gateway for young people to become involved with other forms of drug abuse. This fight cannot be over, but if it is to turn out differently next year, voters must reject the politicians who have become the protectors of tobacco. As Oregon taxayers struggle to pay for public health care for tobacco-related illnesses and as we frantically attempt to prevent addiction to tobacco by our teenagers, we should not forget was the Republicans who took the tobacco industry's campaign money and protected the drug dealers. Joan Claybrook of Public Citizen is particularly critical of these Senators who take Big Tobacco bucks.