Judges Will Be Asked to Delay Signing to Permit Public Study and Comment
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Although the broad outlines of a
still-secret proposed national tobacco deal negotiated by several attorney
generals have been posted on the Internet, a national antismoking organization
plans to seek additional time before the agreement becomes final to permit
public study and comment.
Thus, even before the outlines of the deal are officially made public --
with an announcement now apparently scheduled for Monday -- Action on Smoking
and Health (ASH) will be asking judges in many of the states affected to
withhold approval of any formal settlements until public health organizations
and others have had an opportunity to review its sufficiency.
Of particular concern to ASH is that the attorneys general are reportedly
not planning to make the actual text of the deal public until after it is
signed, thereby making careful public scrutiny impossible.
"If ever the devil was in the details, this is such a case -- and
literally millions of lives and trillions of dollars are at stake," warned law
professor John Banzhaf, ASH's executive director.
If approved, the deal would end suits by more than 40 states against the
major cigarette manufacturers, and establish a national tobacco policy.
Unlike the 1997 attorney general tobacco deal, this one would not have
to be approved by Congress.
However, as Banzhaf noted, the text of that deal was full of legal
loopholes and traps which were not disclosed to the public when it was first
announced. Moreover, it was severely criticized by virtually every major
national antismoking, public health, medical, and public interest group in the
country in the report of the Koop-Kessler Committee on Tobacco Policy and
Public Health.
As a result, the White House refused to embrace it, and even the
Republican-controlled Senate felt the need to substantially strengthen its
provisions in the so-called McCain bill.
Details of the deal, have been posted on the Internet. A copy may be
found at ASH's Web site: http://ash.org or John F. Banzhaf III, Action on
Smoking and Health 202-659-4310 or 703-527-8418.
SOURCE Action on Smoking and Health
 back to top
Related links:
http://ash.org
CONTACT:
John F. Banzhaf III of ASH, 202-659-4310, or,
703-527-8418
|
