After losing their 19-year court battle with the US Department of Justice, tobacco giants Altria, R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard and Philip Morris USA are now beginning to run their court-ordered “corrective statements” as full-page newspaper ads, major web display ads, and primetime TV spots, containing frank admissions that they violated federal racketeering and fraud laws when they conspired to cover up the fact that their products killed their customers and that they intentionally designed their products to be as addictive as possible.
The ads will run for a full year — the TV ads have to run five nights a week, between 7PM and 10PM on ABC, NBC and CBS.
Antismoking groups abroad are paying to run these ads elsewhere; for example, the Cancer Council Western Australia is replicating the ads in Australian media.
One ad reads “Smoking is highly addictive. Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco,” the ads say.
“Cigarette companies control the impact and delivery of nicotine in many ways, including designing filters and selecting cigarette paper to maximise the ingestion of nicotine, adding ammonia to make the cigarette taste less harsh, and controlling the physical and chemical make-up of the tobacco blend.
“When you smoke, the nicotine actually changes the brain — that’s why quitting is so hard.”
Another ad reads, “More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol combined.”
The tobacco industry hasn’t learned its lesson. Murray Garnick, a spokesliar for Altria, who own the Marlboro trademark, publicly stated that his employers were now manufacturing “less risky tobacco products.”
This is a lie.
Among the statements that the cigarette manufacturers will be compelled to make on Nov. 26:
More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol, combined.
Smoking also causes reduced fertility, low birth weight in newborns, and cancer of the cervix.
Smoking is highly addictive. Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco.
Altria, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard, and Philip Morris USA intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive.
When you smoke, the nicotine actually changes the brain – that’s why quitting is so hard.
All cigarettes cause cancer, lung disease, heart attacks, and premature death – lights, low tar, ultra lights, and naturals. There is no safe cigarette.
Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and coronary heart disease in adults who do not smoke.
Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, severe asthma, and reduced lung function.
There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Big Tobacco Television Ads [Cancer Action Network]
US tobacco companies forced to run ads admitting cigarettes are addictive and smoking kills
[James Carmody/ABC]
Big Tobacco’s court-ordered ads make their debut [Jacqueline Howard/CNN]
(via Late Stage Capitalism)