ORIGlNAL

ARKS

BY

C, EVERETT KOOP, M.D,
  SURGEON GENERAL
UA PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

         AND

DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH
LS, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

PRESENTED TO THE FIRST WORLD CONFERENCE ON
      NONSMOKERS' RIGHTS
      WASHINGTON, DA
      OCTOBER 5, 1985


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(GREETINGS TO HOSTS, GUESTS, FRIENDS, ETCm>

   I WANT TO CONGRATULATE JOHN BANZHAF, THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF
A&H,, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO HELPED BRING ABOUT THIS FIRST WORLD

CONFERENCE ON NONSMOKERS' RIGHTS, TO USE A FAMILIAR BUT NEVERTHELESS
ACCURATE PHRASE, THIS IS A CONFERENCE "WHOSE TIME HAS COME,"

   AFTER NEARLY TWO DECADES OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION DIRECTED
EXCLUSIVELY TO THE PROBLEMS OF SMOKERS, WE ARE NOW BEGINNING TO
DEVELOP SCIENTIFIC DATA, LAW, ACTION STRATEGIES, AND EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS ON BEHALF OF THE NONSMOKING PUBLIC,

   WE DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT PASSIVE SMOKING
OR SIDE-STREAM SMOKING, BUT, FOLLOWING THE ETHICAL IMPERATIVE, WE
"KNOW ENOUGH TO ACT,"  NATURALLY, THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE WILL
CONTINUE TO SUPPORT RESEARCH TO FURTHER DEFINE THE DANGERS OF SMOKING
TO THE NONSMOKER,


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  BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR TOMORROW'S RESEARCH TO KNOW WHAT WE
HAVE TO DO TODAY, BUT I FEEL ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT THAT TOMORROW'S
RESEARCH WILL ONLY FURTHER REINFORCE THE PREMISES THAT ARE THE BASIS
OF TODAY'S ACTION ON BEHALF OF NONSMOKERS

  BUT THAT'S AN APPROPRIATE WAY TO PROCEED, WHEN YOU COME TO THINK
OF IT, THAT'S HOW THIS WHOLE ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN BEGAN OVER 20
YEARS AGO, WHEN DR, LUTHER LEONIDAS TERRY, THEN SURGEON GENERAL OF THE
US, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DECIDED THAT HE KNEW ENOUGH ABOUT THE
HEALTH HAZARDS OF SMOKING TO TAKE THE INFORMATION TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND BEGIN TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST CIGARETTES,

  AND THAT'S BEEN THE MODUS OPERANDI, YOU MIGHT SAY, OF EVERY
SURGEON GENERAL OF THE PAST 21 YEARS,


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  CURRENTLY, I AM PROUD TO SAY, THE SURGEON GENERAL IS Cm EVERETT
KOOP, BUT BEFORE I CAME ALONG, THREE OTHER PHYSICIANS -- JULIUS
RICHMOND, JESSE STEINFELD, AND WILLIAM STEWART -- WERE EQUALLY
DEDICATED SURGEONS GENERAL WHO EXPANDED THE INFORMATION BASE, WHO
ADMITTED THAT WE NEEDED TO KNOW MORE, BUT WHO NEVER RETREATED FROM THE
FIELD OF BATTLE FOR THAT REASON,  WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN ENOUGH -- MORE
THAN ENOUGH -- TO ACT ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,

  THE FOUR OF US, HOWEVER, HAVE HAD TO MEASURE UP TO A MODEL SET BY
DR, TERRY, A PHYSICIAN WHO REPRESENTS EXCELLENCE IN MEDICINE AND IN
PUBLIC SERVICE, HE HAD THE KIND OF COURAGE IT TAKES TO BEGIN SUCH A
FIGHT AS THIS,


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  DR, TERRY DIED ON MARCH 29 OF THIS YEAR,  I'M DEEPLY GRATEFUL

THAT YOU HONOR HIM BY DEDICATING THIS FIRST WORLD CONFFERENCE TO HIS
MEMORY, HE WAS A GENUINE HERO OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND HE
LIES IN A HERO'S GRAVE IN ARLINGTON CEMETERY,

  LUTHER TERRY WENT FOR THE BIG ONE, HE ATTACKED A HEALTH PROBLEM
THAT AFFECTS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, IN OUR COUNTRY AND AROUND
THE WORLD, ,,SMOKERS AND NONSMOKERS ALIKE,

   HE ATTACKED ONE OF THE MAJOR POWER CENTERS OF INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS: THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY, AND THE INDUSTRY HAS NEVER FORGIVEN

HIM, NOR HIS SUCCESSORS EITHER, BUT I MUST TELL YOU THAT ITS ENMITY
IS A BADGE WE HAVE ALL WORN WITH MUCH HONOR,

   LUTHER TERRY WAS A MODEST MAN,  HE ALWAYS SAID HE HAD HELPED TO
START SOMETHING, HE NEVER CLAIMED TO HAVE DONE IT ALL, HE LEFT
PLENTY OF ROOM FOR THE REST OF US TO MAKE OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE

ELIMINATION OF CIGARETTES,


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  BUT I THINK SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON HERE AS WELL, WHAT YOU
ARE DOING HERE TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO, I WOULD HOPE, IN THE
DAYS FOLLOWING THIS CONFERENCE, IS TO CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THIS HEALTH
ISSUE IN THE NAME OF THE NONSMOKING MAJORITY,

  AND MAYBE IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT SOCIETY DID JUST THAT, MAYBE THE
TIME HAS INDEED ARRIVED WHEN WE CAN SAY THAT THIS ISSUE IS NO LONGER
THE EXCLUSIVE ISSUE OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHERS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS AND
BEHAVIOR MODIFIERS, BECAUSE IT ISN'T,

   IT'S AN ISSUE FOR HUSBANDS AND WIVES, FOR WORKERS, FOR CHILDREN,

FOR THE ELDERLY, FOR MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO DO NOT SMOKE AND WHO

HAVE A RIGHT TO A SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENT,


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  THIS IS THEIR ISSUE, AND THIS EVENING, AS YOU LEAVE THE LAST
PLENARY SESSION AND PREPARE TO RETURN TO YOUR HOME COMMUNITIES AND
ORGANIZATIONS, I HOPE YOU WILL GO ARMED WITH A DEEPER APPREICATION OF
THE BROAD, COMMON OWNERSHIP OF THIS ISSUE THAT MUST BE SHARED AMONG
ALL NONSMOKERS:

*  YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SPECIALIST IN PULMONARY MEDICINE TO
  CONVINCE SUPERMARKETS AND CONVENIENCE FOOD STORES TO BAN SMOKING
  FROM THEIR PREMISES, AND WE KNOW THEY SHOULD,

*  YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT BIOSTATISTICIAN TO HELP LOCAL
  LAWMAKERS PASS THE KIND OF ORDINANCES THAT WILL GIVE US A SMOKE-
  FREE COMMUNITY, AND WE KNOW THEY CAN,

*  AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE CONSULTANT IN CLINICAL CHEMISTRY TO
  REALIZE THAT NONSMOKERS NEED TO COME TOGETHER, TO ORGANIZE AND
  POOL THEIR ENERGIES AND RESOURCES, IN ORDER TO REGAIN CONTROL OF
  -- AND SCRUB UP -- THE ENVIRONMENT,


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*  AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE THE SURGEON GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
TO SIT DOWN WITH A LOCAL NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL WRITER OR A T,V, NEWS
PRODUCER TO TALK ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF NONSMOKERS TO WORK, PLAY,
EAT, TRAVEL, AND STUDY IN A SMOKE-FREE ENVIRONMENT, IN FACT,
YOU'RE PROBABLY BETTER OFF NOT BEING THE SURGEON GENERAL,

  I'M GOING TO STOP HERE, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE ACCUSED OF
"PREACHING TO THE COMMITTED,"  INSTEAD, FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES, AND
WITH THE HELP OF YOUR CHAIRMAN, JOHN BANZHAF, I'D BE PLEASED TO TRY TO
ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS ON NONSMOKERS' RIGHTS THAT MAY BE ON YOUR
MINDS,

  THERE'S AN OLD JEWISH PROVERB THAT SAYS, "WHEN A POOR MAN EATS A
CHICKEN, ONE OF THEM IS SICK,"  I'LL PARAPHRASE THAT AND SAY, "WHEN A
PERSON ASKS THE SURGEON GENERAL A QUESTION, ONE OF THEM LEARNS
SOMETHING NEW,"

THANK YOU,

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