Spurn tobacco cash, health groups urge states

Five health and anti-smoking groups urged state lawmakers to turn down an offer of $1.1 million for youth programs from the maker of Marlboro cigarettes on Tuesday, saying the company was trying to buy influence.

They said the National Conference of State Legislatures should instead look for science-based ways to discourage smoking, which kills more than 400,000 Americans every year.

"We believe that accepting this grant from Philip Morris would tarnish NCSL's reputation," the heads of the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said in a letter to the organization.

"Through grants such as this, Philip Morris seeks to improve its negative image, gain legitimacy through association with reputable allies, and create the illusion that Philip Morris is part of the solution to the tobacco problem when in fact it remains a major cause of the problem and an aggressive opponent of effective legislative solutions."

Philip Morris is owned by Altria Group Inc., and has offered the organization a $1.1 million grant to undertake research and policy efforts around "positive youth development."

The National Conference of State Legislatures, which provides research and technical assistance for state legislators and their staff, said it would vote on whether to accept the grant at the weekend.

"The focus of the money will be on youth policies," said spokesman Gene Rose. "The grant has nothing to do with smoking cessation programs."

The money would be used to research policies about issues such as after-school care, child care and various youth programs, he said.

The groups' letter cites internal company documents that indicate the company had been seeking ways to influence legislatures.

"Philip Morris' 5-Year Plan for 1992-1996 includes the following goal: 'Seek ways to use the contributions program to advance the company's communications, public affairs, and government relations agenda'," the letter reads.

Regular teen smoking is at its lowest levels since 1975, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which found that 16 percent of 12th graders, aged 17 or 18, had smoked in the past month.

An estimated 23 percent of U.S. adults smoke.