
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 10, 1993                   TAG: 9308100066
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DANVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

NRA THE ROLE MODEL FOR NEW TOBACCO LOBBY

With more proposals looming to increase taxes and restrict smoking, tobacco growers, smokers and pro-tobacco businesses in Virginia are forming a political action committee patterned after the National Rifle Association.

"They promote the right to bear arms. We want to promote the right to grow and use a legal product without discrimination," said Ray Emerson Jr., chairman of Concerned Friends for Tobacco.

But anti-smoking groups and legislators said the group appears to be a smoke screen for cigarette manufacturing companies and the industry's national political action committee.

"This is probably just a way of spreading their money around," said Del. Bernie Cohen, D-Alexandria. "Growers aren't in a position to come up with much money, but they have a better image than the companies."

Anne Morrow Donley, director of Virginia's Group To Alleviate Smoking in Public, said, "What they're doing is trying to force us all to continue to pay the social costs of their being permitted to create a product that murders one out of every three of its consumers."

But Emerson, a fourth-generation tobacco farmer from Pittsylvania County, said they're just a grass-roots organization trying to get the attention of Virginia politicians who fail to appreciate the importance of the tobacco industry.

The farmers are harvesting a crop that will be worth nearly $900 million after filtering its way through the economy, he said.

Still, when the Virginia tobacco markets opened this month, no statewide officeholder or candidate came to show their support. The governors of North Carolina and South Carolina toured warehouses when their markets opened the previous week.

Emerson said that demonstrates the group's point.

"One of the main reasons for the association is to get politicians to start taking us seriously," Emerson said. "I don't see how they could represent Virginia and not represent her No. 1 cash crop."

Politicians who support proposals to increase taxes on cigarettes or restrict smoking "will be held accountable," he said.

So far, they will be held accountable to only 50 people who have joined the group. Three-fourths of them are growers and the others come from companies that make fertilizers, tractors, lumber and furniture.

But the group has run ads in local newspapers soliciting membership and sent out 1,000 letters to prospective members this month.

The letter begins, "Dear Friend, Tobacco and those who enjoy using tobacco products by choice continue to be attacked."

Emerson said, "We want this to encompass the entire tobacco family. Just about any business in the area is affected by the industry."

Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by CNB