Frank Keraudren

The Last Cigarette

Kevin Rafferty, Frank Keraudren

In 1994, the Health and Environment Subcommittee of the US Congress, chaired by Henry Waxman (D-California), held a hearing on tobacco products and health. Excerpts from the hearing, where the CEOs of the four US tobacco companies testified, are interspersed with clips from movies, educational films, TV commercials, and other promotional materials. Among the topics addressed in the hearing: are cigarettes the single most dangerous consumer product, how many people die annually in the US from smoking, is nicotine addictive, should smoking be banned in public places, do tobacco ads target children? This historic hearing is referenced in the 1999 film, "The Insider."