Senate Tobacco Quota Buyout/FDA Legislation Would Hurt Growers, Industry

Senate Tobacco Quota Buyout/FDA Legislation Would Hurt Growers,
Industry 


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 15  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Co. today reiterated its vigorous opposition to the Kennedy/McConnell tobacco
quota buyout/FDA amendment debated by the U.S. Senate.

Tommy Payne, executive vice president of external relations, said, "The
Kennedy/McConnell amendment is ill-conceived, imperils the viability of a
tobacco quota buyout and creates an overwhelming competitive advantage for
Philip Morris that is unprecedented in the modern history of Congressional
action.

"This amendment fails to make U.S. tobacco farmers more competitive and would
be financially disastrous for tobacco manufacturers, their employees, their
business partners and adult smokers, many of whom are lower- and middle- income
wage earners," Payne added.

"If Congress is serious about giving tobacco growers financial relief, it will
adopt the House version of the tobacco quota buyout bill," Payne said.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJRT) is a wholly owned subsidiary of R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RJR).  R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is
the second-largest tobacco company in the United States, manufacturing about
one of every four cigarettes sold in the United States.  Reynolds Tobacco's
product line includes four of the nation's 10 best-selling cigarette brands:
Camel, Winston, Salem and Doral.  For more information about RJRT, visit the
company's Web site at http://www.rjrt.com/ . 

DATASOURCE: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company



CONTACT: John Singleton, [phone], or David Howard,

[phone], both of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company 



Web site:  http://www.rjrt.com/ 

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