Anti-smoking groups try to sever RJR ties with pageant winners

Source: http://www.wwaytv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=4638022&nav=menu70_2

WASHINGTON Anti-smoking groups want to break up the special relationship Miss America hopefuls and North Carolina-based tobacco giant R-J Reynolds Tobacco company have.

For the past few years, the Number two cigarette maker has been giving winners of Miss America state pageants five-thousand dollars a year to promote the company's youth anti-smoking campaign.

Public health officials say that campaign is a sham.

A coalition of health groups is asking the association that runs the state pageants to quit working with the Winston-Salem-based company.

R-J Reynolds currently is teamed with 29 state pageant organizations. An R-J Reynolds official says the company offers the beauty pageant participants anti-smoking materials to use in middle schools.

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