LANSING, Mich., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The following was released by the
Tobacco-Free Michigan Action Coalition:

    The Board of Directors of the Tobacco-Free Michigan Action Coalition
(TFMAC) reacted today with shock and dismay to reports in the media concerning
an imminent announcement by a select group of state Attorney's General -- not
including Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley -- and the tobacco industry
of a proposed settlement of states' Medicaid lawsuits against the tobacco
industry.  The deal will reportedly be announced on Monday with a deadline of
the following Friday for approval by all attorneys general.
    TFMAC Chair, Jeanne Knopf DeRoche said, "TFMAC is appalled at the manner
in which the tobacco industry and the eight Attorneys General who are
negotiating this proposed settlement not only are conducting their
negotiations behind closed doors, with no public input, but will give states,
including Michigan, only four days to sign on to the agreement if they wish to
do so.  This settlement, if agreed to, will set tobacco-related public policy
and settle Medicaid claims for 25 years to eternity.  Yet, the citizens of
Michigan, the Attorney General, the Attorney General-elect, the Governor, the
legislature, the public health community, the media -- everyone but the
privileged negotiators of this deal -- will be denied any reasonable
opportunity to carefully review this settlement.  This is an outrage."
    Quotes in the media from people involved in negotiating the settlement
tout it as a great step forward in reducing tobacco sales to youth and in
protecting the public health from the dangers of tobacco use.  Yet, on June
20th last year, similar statements were made by the tobacco industry and some
Attorneys General about a national tobacco settlement, and it proved, under
the light of public scrutiny, to be a "tobacco industry protection agreement"
whose major achievement would have been to provide the tobacco industry with
immunity from virtually all lawsuits, while providing little in return to
protect the public health from the dangers of tobacco.
    Now, the same tobacco industry, after meeting in secret for four months
with eight Attorneys General, three of whom are currently lame ducks in their
own states, and two of whom haven't even sued the tobacco industry, is
reportedly planning to present the public with a fait accompli settlement and
demands for a supersonic review and approval process.  Former TFMAC Chair Jim
Bergman said, "this is analogous to a used car dealer saying a potential buyer
can drive the car around the block, but cannot look under the hood or have an
independent auto mechanic examine the car.  If the deal cannot withstand
careful public scrutiny, then there is something seriously wrong with it.  No
sane person would agree to such terms, especially when dealing with the
tobacco industry, which has a decades-long history of deceit and denials of
the truth."
    TFMAC urges Attorney General Frank Kelley, Attorney General-elect Jennifer
Granholm and Governor John Engler to demand at least a 30-day window of
opportunity to evaluate the merits for Michigan citizens of any proposed
settlement with the tobacco companies.  Attorney General Kelley has already
indicated his desire to hear TFMAC's views on any settlement proposal, and we
respectfully submit that, to honor his request for our views, we -- and the
public -- need adequate time to review the proposal.

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