STATEMENT BY MARK BREAUX (SMOKE FREE MARYLAND, USA)

2002 Philip Morris Annual Meeting of Stockholders
April 25, 2002

Good morning Mr. Bible. My name is Mark Breaux and I'm here representing Smoke Free Maryland and Aer Pur of Romania. Philip Morris and other tobacco companies have taken advantage of Romania and its people through your campaign of lies and manipulation. Your market share in that country has grown by over 14% in the past year alone. You have made millions of dollars through the suffering of your victims, but you will not win. You are dealing with organizations like AER PUR Romania, who have the moral courage to work day in and day out to defeat Philip Morris and the tobacco industry that tries to take the very soul of a nation for its own profit.

Smoke Free Maryland has made much progress here at home, but will not allow our country to export its tobacco epidemic to more vulnerable nations. Philip Morris cannot hide behind a new name. We know who you are, we know what you do, and we will NEVER give up the fight.

(paraphrase) My question to you is... with all the problems that Romania and other countries in Eastern Europe have faced since the wall came down... with all of the burden on their health care systems... when do you plan to reduce your activities that cause so many health related problems in those countries?"

RESPONSE: Mr. Bible responded basically by saying that "Democracy" in Eastern Europe now gives people the choice to smoke.

For more information: Mark Breaux <mbreaux@medchi.org>, Cornel Radu-Loghin <cornel@aerpur.ro>