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Tobacco Suit Favored

August 29, 1996
By: Adam Czerwinski
State Capital Bureau

A spokesman for Missouri's Health Department is voicing an attitude quite different from the state's Attorney General about suing tobacco companies for a money for health care of smokers.

Adam Czerwinski (chair-vin-ski) reports from Jefferson City:

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The State's Health Department estimates that in 1993 Missouri shelled out 152-million dollars to care for smoking related illnesses.

These kind of figures have prompted 15 states to file suit against the tobacco industry.

Missouri's Health Department spokesman, Wilma Johnson says she's in favor of efforts to get that money back.

Actuality:Johnson
RunTime: 12sec
OutCue: "..follow the law suits."
Contents: Johnson says her department supports what the other 15 states are doing.

But it's not up to the Health Department to file such a suit...that's the Attorney General's job.

A spokesman for Jay Nixon says his office wants to wait and see what happens with the other law suits before risking more money to fight the tobacco companies.

Adam Czerwinski, Jefferson City