Tobacco industry activity in Alabama

This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

Alabama was one of the states in which R.J. Reynolds deployed its "Morning Team," which it called "an essential tool to protect the profitability of the company." The primary function of the Morning Team was to coordinate the deployment of RJR company resources to support or oppose state, local and sometimes federal laws, regulations and/or ordinances that could potentially affect cigarette profits within the state. The Morning Team (circa 1999) was a vehicle for promoting the objectives of RJR's State Government Relations office, and, by extension, the company as whole.

The Morning Team coordinated its local actions with Brown & Williamson, Lorillard Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris. The core group - RJR, B&W and Lorillard - operated under the umbrella of Covington and Burling (C&B). The group's purpose was to find efficiencies between the respective companies when fighting local, and state actions. In addition, the team provided intelligence and other information back to C&B to disseminate to the group as a whole. After the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement mandated the dismantling of the Tobacco Institute, the Morning Team served as a coordinating point for industry issues at the state and local levels.

Suggested searches: "Morning team" and Alabama

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