Statement on Proposed Tobacco Buyout by M. Cass Wheeler CEO, American Heart Association before the House Committee on Agriculture

American Heart Association
Thursday, 24 July 2003

Good morning. My name is Cass Wheeler and I am Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association, representing our 22.5 million volunteers and supporters. I am very pleased to be here before you this morning to share our association's position on the tobacco buyout and to offer some insight into our relationship with tobacco growers.

Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 killer in the United States, resulting in more deaths than the next five causes of death combined. Because tobacco use is a leading risk factor for these diseases, we have joined with other public health and tobacco control organizations to work to reduce tobacco use, and the illness and premature death associated with that use.

It would seem unlikely that the American Heart Association and other public health organizations would join together with tobacco growers in the pursuit of our mission. But thanks to nearly a decade of open and honest discussions, both sides gradually came to see that in the end we all want safe, healthy and secure families – goals we can reach with a fair and effective buyout program and FDA regulation of tobacco products.

For years we have been told that differences among growers, and between growers and the public health community were the reason no buyout program has been realized. Yet, our two sides have been in agreement, officially, on grower-related and public health provisions for more than 5 years.

We certainly understand that tobacco farmers aren't the ones getting rich off their products, and the growers understand the dangers posed by manufactured tobacco products, and most certainly do not want to see kids smoking. They have families and are concerned about public health, just like the rest of us. But, they are locked into the so-called "Tobacco Trap" – subsistence farming and not enough resources to quit. They are simply trying to maintain their family incomes and help keep their communities sustainable. While both growers and public health groups are unified in their commitment to sustain growers' incomes, it is imperative that we work to reduce tobacco farmers' and their communities' dependence on tobacco as a crop.

Some years ago, our two groups realized that by working as allies we could both help preserve family farms and communities in tobacco-producing areas, and at the same time help advance public health goals by controlling the spread of tobacco farming to other states and controlling the quantity of tobacco produced domestically. Only in this way could we work to deny the stranglehold the tobacco industry wields, from stalk to carton, over cigarettes.

Over the past 50 years the number of tobacco farmers has dropped dramatically, so too has the revenue farmers earn on the tobacco they grow and the percentage of domestic tobacco U.S. tobacco companies purchase. Today's tobacco farmers are being driven out, driven into debt, and forced into contractual buying – further relinquishing control of their commodity. Families and whole communities that depend on tobacco are disappearing – without the actual disappearance of tobacco as a crop.

As a result of relationships initially fostered by the American Heart Association, and built-upon by the groundbreaking work of the Southern Tobacco Communities Project, the shared goals between public health organizations and tobacco growers were reflected in the 1998 Core Principles Between the Public Health Community and the Tobacco Producers (Growers) Community. Among the basic tenets of these principles are the theories of production and price controls.

The opponents of price and production controls believe the growing and subsequent selling of tobacco should take place in a free-market system. To give these corporate giants free reign over the price set for tobacco would only result in declining tobacco prices and more farmers switching to contractual growing – selling straight to tobacco manufacturers rather than at an open market – where they lose the ability to negotiate price. From our perspective, lower prices = higher profits = more funds available for the industry to market and promote its deadly products.

As for the specific legislative proposals under consideration, the American Heart Association supports implementation of the recommendations of the President's "Commission on Improving Economic Opportunity in Communities Dependent on Tobacco Production while Protecting Public Health. Such recommendations include:

• Replacing the current quota system with production permits, held only by active growers.
• Including financial incentives for farmers to stop growing tobacco, as included in the legislation sponsored by Representatives Goode and Fletcher.
• Providing for a system of technical, education and economic development assistance.
• Ensuring that imported foreign-grown tobacco is subject to the same standards as U.S. grown tobacco.

Buyout legislation that growers and public health advocates can agree on is a critical and necessary first step to advancing both parties' interests, but not the only step. In addition to limiting the expansion of tobacco and denying the industry even more excessive profits, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must be given the authority to regulate the manufacture, sale, labeling, distribution and advertising of all tobacco products.

Unlike food products or over-the-counter medications, manufactured tobacco products have effectively escaped government regulation – virtually anything can be added to tobacco products. More information and safeguards are provided on the manufacture and labeling of orange juice than on this addictive and deadly product. This simply must change.

The public health community and tobacco growers are united in support of meaningful legislation that gives the FDA full authority to regulate the manufacture, sale, labeling, distribution and advertising of tobacco. And, both parties unanimously agree that the continued, direct or covert marketing of tobacco to children must be stopped. Farmers do not want children smoking. They care about their children, and about other parents' children too.

Our organization stands beside growers in support of a fair and equitable buyout plan. However, we must insist that this process not become the vehicle for bad FDA legislation or conference actions that do not accurately represent both the public health concerns and those of tobacco growers. In this we remain steadfast – we will do what is necessary to minimize the risk of unacceptable FDA legislation.

On behalf of the American Heart Association, I appreciate the committee taking time to study this issue in depth, and allowing me to provide some insight into the very positive relationship between tobacco growers and the public health community. I sincerely hope the members of the committee support both an equitable buyout plan for the sake of tobacco farmers and America's health, as well as future efforts on granting FDA meaningful authority over tobacco.

For more information, or to contact American Heart Association, see their website at: www.americanheart.org