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Article: Anti-Tobacco Activists May Heal Rift; Koop Works to Unite Public Health Groups
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 22, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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An increasingly bitter rift between two factions of the
nation's public health groups over the proposed national tobacco
settlement could be moving toward resolution -- and a united and
harder stance against cigarette-makers.
Since the announcement last year of a possible national
settlement, public health groups have been divided over whether the
industry should get protection from class-action civil lawsuits and
punitive damages.
The division between the two sides became so acrimonious that
it appeared to present a significant stumbling block for national
legislation based on the deal. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sent a
Jan. 13 letter to public health groups stating that they "must ...