Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Camel City. Tobacco, along with textiles, built this town, and R.J. Reynolds remains a mainstay of the city's economic life. It's hard to go anywhere without being reminded of the legacy of this formidable corporation and its influence on civic and philanthropic life. However, it is high time our city washed the nicotine stains for our fingertips. We need a complete and immediate break from any money associated with these merchants of death.
Reynolds has arms of its organization that do important and outstanding work in our community, but the company and its associated PACs also fund numerous political campaigns, mostly for Republicans, but would you believe that it also gives money to Democrats? Why do corporations give to politicians? The answer is simple: they hope to influence policy in ways favorable to their business interests. An example is the complex set of regulatory rules unfolding for e-cigarettes. Legislation regarding how this new form of smoking is treated will critically affect tobacco companies' bottom lines. Republicans tend to be more business friendly than Democrats, but most companies give to both sides, because it never hurts to buy influence wherever you can get it!
Recently it was disclosed that Reynolds donated over $1 million to Donald Trump's Inauguration. That event raised a record amount of money, even though by all accounts it was poorly attended. A Reynolds spokesman justified this spending, saying the company supports "the peaceful and orderly transfer of power." Companies do not give away hard-earned profits for nothing, and with the pack of corporate shills now presiding in key Cabinet posts likely to impact Reynolds, it is not hard to guess why they donated to the Trump spectacle. Reynolds makes no bones about its political involvement, which is perfectly legal. It admits that its "businesses can be affected both by laws and regulations that impact the business climate generally as well as those that specifically govern the manufacture and sale of tobacco products." It is legal to give; it is legal to receive. But is it moral?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, "Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States. This is about one in five deaths annually." Given that Reynolds has a roughly 25 percent market share, this means that its products are responsible for some 120,000 deaths every year, not to mention the enormous social and fiscal costs of people living with debilitating diseases like COPD and lung cancer. Reynolds does significant business overseas as well, contributing to more death and disease.
In its hometown of Winston-Salem, Reynolds funds a myriad of charities and foundations that do outstanding and essential work in the community. Indeed, it is hard to enjoy an arts event without seeing or hearing the company's name, from the symphony to the renowned film festival River Run. Moreover, the company employs some 2,500 people in the Piedmont Triad region, no small consideration in an area that just clawed its way out of recession. But is the money worth it? How many arts festivals equal a slow, agonizing, financially ruinous death from lung cancer? Reynolds has notoriously marketed its products to youth, most notably through its years-long "Joe Camel" ad campaign. Recently, it has resumed advertising in magazines with high teen readership such as Sports Illustrated, often advertising products clearly targeting youth such as Camel Crush. Since 90 percent of all smokers become addicted before the age of 18, this practice is unconscionable.
The new rage, of course, is "vaping," a little understood smoking technology that is widely perceived to eliminate the dangers of smoking, although recent studies such as one from Harvard conclude that harmful chemicals are indeed released into the body through e-cigs, and that much more study is needed to determine the full scope of the health risks associated with their use.
I am calling for every politician, political candidate, non-profit group, and arts organization to immediately renounce all funding from the Reynolds American Corporation. Mentioning that company's name and displaying its logo is an affirmation of death, disease, and deceit. Take their money and you are complicit in all of the above. Yes, losing this money would cause an immediate diminution of the artistic and philanthropic life of Winston-Salem. But a deal with the devil is no deal at all.
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