RAI Reynolds American (delisted)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Reynolds American Inc. and its largest subsidiary, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, oppose passage of House Bill 259, a statewide smoking ban currently under consideration in the North Carolina House of Representatives. "We support reasonable public smoking restrictions with common-sense exemptions for places such as private homes and adult-only facilities like bars," said Tommy J. Payne, executive vice president of public affairs for Reynolds American. "Unfortunately, as currently written, this bill doesn't include those common-sense exemptions. This bill would ban smoking in virtually every bar, tavern and private club in the state of North Carolina. "We estimate that more than 90 percent of public and private areas in North Carolina would be smokefree even if the legislature modifies the bill to permit smoking in adult-only facilities," Payne said. "That's a more than reasonable accommodation," he said. The companies are encouraging legislators to either modify the bill to permit smoking in adult-only facilities, or vote against it as currently written. Payne said the bill, which is supported by the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association, will place small businesses at a competitive disadvantage. "We believe owners of bars, taverns and private clubs should have the right to set smoking policies that suit their clientele," Payne said. "Bar and tavern owners are generally small businesspeople - we think they should have the right to decide whether they want to allow smoking, not the government. In supporting this bill, the restaurant association may be looking out for their fine-dining establishments, but small businesses often don't have the luxury of big profit margins to fall back on. "In locations with total smoking bans, bar and tavern revenues have often taken a nosedive, tips for wait staff dropped dramatically, jobs have been cut, and in some cases, bars and taverns have been forced to close," Payne said. Payne said the company is hoping legislators keep in mind that most bars are adult-only venues; children are not permitted to enter them and are thus protected from exposure to secondhand smoke, and that adults patronizing bars and nightclubs do so voluntarily. "A bar owner recently told us that over the years, he'd had to throw a few people out, but he'd never had to drag anyone in," Payne said. In addition to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Reynolds American's other North Carolina-based facilities include a Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company manufacturing facility in Oxford, N.C., and two Conwood Company facilities in Winston-Salem and Sanford, N.C. More than 4,000 North Carolinians work for Reynolds American or one of its subsidiaries. ABOUT US Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE:RAI) is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Conwood Company, LLC; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc; and R.J. Reynolds Global Products, Inc. -- R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the second-largest U.S. tobacco company, manufactures about one of every three cigarettes sold in the country. The company's brands include five of the 10 best-selling U.S. brands: Camel, Kool, Winston, Salem and Doral. -- Conwood Company, LLC is the nation's second-largest manufacturer of smokeless tobacco products. Its leading brands are Kodiak, Grizzly and Levi Garrett. Conwood also sells and distributes a variety of tobacco products manufactured by Lane, Limited, including Winchester and Captain Black little cigars, and Bugler roll-your-own tobacco. -- Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc. manufactures Natural American Spirit cigarettes and other additive-free tobacco products. -- R.J. Reynolds Global Products, Inc. manufactures, sells and distributes American-blend cigarettes and other tobacco products to a variety of customers worldwide. Copies of RAI's news releases, annual reports, SEC filings and other financial materials are available at http://www.reynoldsamerican.com/. DATASOURCE: Reynolds American Inc. CONTACT: Maura Payne, Vice President - Communications, +1-336-741-6996, or Steve Kottak, Director - Communications, +1-336-741-3372, or David Howard, Senior Manager - Communications, +1-336-741-3489, all of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Web site: http://www.reynoldsamerican.com/

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