FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2003
Contact: Corrie Prutspin, tobacco@licensedtokill.biz
LICENSED
TO KILL, INC LAUDS
U.S. EFFORT TO UNDERMINE
GLOBAL TOBACCO TREATY
"We
couldn't have a better administration representing our global
business interests,"
says CEO Rich Fromdeth
Washington,
DC Licensed to Kill, Inc, the worlds newest multinational
tobacco company, lauded the Bush Administration today for its
admirable, last-ditch effort to gut an
international treaty aimed at controlling the worldwide proliferation
of tobacco products and the associated epidemic of tobacco-related
death and disease.
On
Monday, U.S. Ambassador Kevin Moley met with the director general
of the World Health Organization in Geneva, on behalf of the Bush
administration and its corporate constituents, to argue in favor
of allowing signatories to the Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control to disregard parts of the treaty they dont like.
In
particular, the U.S. and its tobacco industry allies are opposed
to a global ban on tobacco advertising and a requirement that
health warnings take up a third of the surface area of cigarette
packs.
A
ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship would eliminate
one of our industry's most effective avenues for hooking kids
and young adults to our addictive product line, said Licensed
to Kill CEO, Rich Fromdeth, Its heartening to have
a president who stands up for the Big Guys, however unpopular
or detrimental to public health it may be. Truthfully, we couldn't
have a better administration representing our global business
interests.
Licensed
to Kill was officially incorporated in the state of Virginia on
March 19, 2003. The company's purpose, as stated in its articles
of incorporation, is "the manufacture and marketing of tobacco
products in a way that each year kills over 400,000 Americans
and 4.5 million other persons worldwide."
The
company has billed itself as an honest tobacco company
-- one that does not seek to cover up the deadly nature of its
business -- in the hopes of avoiding the plethora of lawsuits
facing its competitors. The companys frank candor extends
to its line of cigarettes, which include Global Massacre,
Genocide, WOMD," and Throat Hole.
Licensed
to Kill, Inc fears that if the current draft text of the global
health treaty is adopted by the World Health Assembly later this
month, the company's ambitious plans for global expansion will
be thwarted.
It
is absolutely vital that the U.S. not let global public health
zealots sabotage our efforts to have a toothless treaty text adopted,
said company Director Gray Vastone, A strong treaty would
force us to scuttle our corporate dream of a Global Massacre,
WOMD, and Morgue in the mouth of every
child, woman, and man around the world. A weak treaty, on the
other hand, would protect our right to peddle our deadly products
wherever and however we please.
We
live in dangerous times, when a small number of radical public
health nuts are intent on squelching our freedom to continue making
a killing around the world. It is time to nip public health fundamentalism
in the bud or our industry will forever be in peril, said
Fromdeth, The U.S. is just the right country to do that.
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Note:
Licensed to Kill, Inc is a strong believer in democracy, as in
"government of, by, and for corporations." For more
information about Licensed to Kill's plans for global expansion
and commitment to corporate citizenship go to: www.licensedtokill.biz
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