An SIUC law professor and expert on tobacco legislation will get to meet and sit on a panel with Joycelyn Elders, former surgeon general of the United States, to discuss laws that limit tobacco advertising on the Public Broadcasting System.

Donald Garner, SIUC law professor, will be on the television show, Freedom Speaks, with Elders and first amendment lawyer Cameron De Vore. The episode will be titled tobacco advertising and will air on WSIU TV on Jan. 16 at 7:30 a.m., Trina Lyons, TV program and operations coordinator for WSIU said.

Garner said the panel will begin by discussing general reactions to President Clinton’s proposal to restrict cigarette advertising, with some pros and cons from John Siegenthaler, First Amendment analyst, and Kerry Brock, the moderator of the show.

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The discussion will then go to the panel, and Elders will voice her opinion, which is a very clear opinion about the medical risk of cigarette smoking to children and about the advertising of tobacco companies, he said. Her opinion is that the tobacco companies should not advertise to children, the same as mine.

He said it will then be discussed from a legal viewpoint.

There has been a 30-percent increase in the amount of smoking by children in the last year, so this issue has some real urgency, he said.

Garner said he has served on various committees, fighting to restrain cigarette advertising, for many years.

Garner said he spoke about smoking to the ninth annual World Health Organization in Paris last year .

I discussed unique and important reasons why billboards that advertise smoking ought to banned, he said. In some areas it interferes with the rights of families, by portraying cartoon characters looking down at children.

Garner will be taping the show today in Nashville, Tenn.

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