R .J .

AeynolQs Tobacco Company

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January 11, 199 0

Principal
Willow Ridge 8chool
480 Willow Ridge Drive
Amherst, NY 1415 0

Dear Sir or Madam :

A number of your fifth grado -utudsnts have written R .J . ~teynolds

Tobacco Company aommentinq that they do not feMl our company
should allow the use of our brand names on children's toys and
candy cigarettes .

As information, R .J . Reynolds Tobkcco Company's policy is not to

allow our brand names to be used on toys or candy cigarettes and
any current use of our brand :names in this fashion is not sanc-
tioned by our company .

Some of the students also commtn te d about the controversies

surrounding cigarette smoking . The tobacco industry considers
smoking to be a custom for tbo*e adults who derive pleasure f r om
it . We believe that whether . to smoke or not is a decision that
should be freely made by individuals who have reached the age of
m a ture judgment . Accordingly, our advertising is directed to
adult smokers and not young e r people .

The tobacco industry is also`oonoerned about the charges being

made that smoking is responsible for so many serious diseases .
Lonq before the present oritioista began, the tobacoo industry, in
a sinoere attempt to determine what harmful effects, if any,
smoking might have on human health, established The Council for
Tobaced Research--US A . The industXy has also support e d research
grants directed by the American Medical Association . Over the
years the tobacco industry has given in excess of $162 million to
independent research on the controversies surrounding smoking --
more than all the voluntary health associations combined .
Despite all the research going on, the simple and unfortunate
fact is that scientists do not know the cause or causes of the Ln
chronic diseases reported to be associated with smoking . The m
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Principal
Page Two
January li, 1900

answers to the ma nswar*Q .oop~roversies surrounding smoking --

and the !un ta causes oi :tti ~ s .asas oit~.n statistically
ae~socia with smokinq -- we b~al e an only be datsrmined
thro much more scientific xeaarch . Our company intends,
the .tore, to continue to support'suoh rasaafh in a continuing
soakoh for answ .rs .
We woul~praa~~t._y_o__r_~ass#~tq-t~is - -i~rtormstion along to your
students ,'You may also be irit .rast.d in the enclosed
°publicatonsre qthposinfurmpayndthe•
tobaoco industry on the issue .of youth smokinq .
Sinc.rely,

9~ J10aj~k
.4
(Mrs .) Jo F . Spach
Manager, Public zntormation
Public Rslations Department

Jpe/jmd 4*

Enclosures
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