NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1971 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1010

SENATE BILL 522

 

 

AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FOR THE CONTINUATION OF RESEARCH.

 

Whereas, tobacco as a farm crop and as a manufactured product is very important to the economy of North Carolina; and

Whereas, research and study into the possible means of improving tobacco products have been conducted at North Carolina State University at Raleigh; and

Whereas, this research has of late been concentrated in the area of reduction of nicotine and tar content of tobacco products and in the area of lowering of burning temperatures of tobacco products; and

Whereas, the success of this general research project depends in large part upon the prompt availability of funds clearly earmarked for this study; and

Whereas, in response to continued adverse accusations against smoking as a serious health hazard, the 1969 North Carolina General Assembly funded a special appropriation for expanded research in producing tobacco products with reduced "tar" and nicotine contents. A team of researchers, including engineers, biochemists and physiologists, have conducted in-depth studies on means of modifying health- related properties. Their research has demonstrated that leaf chemistry and physical structure can be modified within wide limits under controlled process conditions to achieve marked change in cigarette smoke composition; and

Whereas, further intensive research is urgently needed to correlate controlled process modifications with combustion properties and smoke composition. Major effort will be directed to (1) determining the nature of product modification through biochemical means, thermal processing and freeze drying, extraction, etc., (2) developing new process technology and equipment for permitting controlled changes, and (3) enhancing tobacco properties for reducing smoke "tars" and identified tumorigenic or ciliotoxic constituents; Now, therefore,

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund of the State of North Carolina to the North Carolina State University Agricultural Experiment Station, in addition to all other appropriations, the sum of $98,500 per year for each year of the 1971-1973 biennium exclusively for the purpose of conducting, in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, research and experimentation with tobacco and tobacco products for the purpose of producing tobacco products with a reduced nicotine and tar content and a lowered burning temperature or other characteristics likely to make the products more readily commercially marketable.

Sec. 2.  No funds herein appropriated shall be used for any purpose other than those set out herein. All funds herein appropriated not used for this purpose on or before July 1, 1973, shall be returned to the General Fund of the State.

Sec. 3.  All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 4.  This act shall become effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 20th day of July, 1971.