Tobacco Advertising: What Are Smokeless Tobacco Companies Hiding?
Never considered the most trustworthy industry, executives from Big Tobacco have figured out how to manipulate the truth. They are good at selling disease and even death, and we wonder how long they’ll get away with it. Tobacco companies knew about the dangers of smoking long before they told the public. Scientists who worked for the tobacco companies found that nicotine was addictive, but the information was buried by company executives. These executives even swore before Congress that they didn’t know their products were dangerous and deadly! Even then they knew the dangers—the evidence was clear. (1, 3)
Back in 1988, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that nicotine was addictive. The tobacco industry responded by forming "Associates for Research in the Science of Enjoyment." These bogus scientists toured the world promoting the health benefits of the use of legal substances, including tobacco, for stress relief and relaxation.
Now it’s 2009, and because there are so many restrictions and rules that limit secondhand smoke exposure and prohibit public smoking, the tobacco companies have changed tactics. They are resorting to the production and manufacture of new products and these products are being targeted at YOU. Tobacco companies are promoting these smokeless products by claiming that they can help you when you’re trying to quit smoking and that they are safer than cigarettes. But these smokeless products weren’t developed to help smokers quit! Just like the rest of the tobacco products, they are moneymakers for the tobacco industry. Researchers examined the internal tobacco industry documents and discovered the truth: these smokeless products were developed 1) to get smokers to use smokeless tobacco products when they can’t smoke and 2) to encourage "dual use" in order to get smokers to keep smoking AND use smokeless tobacco products. (1, 2)
One interesting way the tobacco industry markets their products is by publishing medical journal articles. These articles are based on research conducted by scientists who are sponsored by tobacco companies. These paid researchers maintain that their results are not influenced by their funding. A review of medical journal articles reveals that practically all the articles "proving" that electronic cigarettes, for example, are safer than cigarettes are funded by a tobacco company. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration analyzed electronic cigarette samples and found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.
Tobacco companies are desperate to find new products to sell to you and desperate to stem the loss of revenue from decreasing tobacco sales. They maintain that their products are safe, but how can you trust them? You can’t! Are they keeping something from us? Most likely, it’s the truth.
So when you see the ads for snus, e-cigarettes, orbs, dissolvables, and strips, don’t think of these products as tobacco cessation aides; think of them as money in the bank for the tobacco industry. Because in the end, all of these products are addictive, all have devastating health consequences, and all are being marketed toward you. Isn’t it horrible that the tobacco industry paints a bull’s eye on us?
Quit Tobacco—Make Everyone Proud.
References
1 Tobacco Control. 2009 Feb;18(1):54-9. Epub 2008 Oct 23.Related Articles, Links. Developing smokeless tobacco products for smokers: an examination of tobacco industry documents. Carpenter C.M., Connolly G.N., Ayo-Yusuf O.A., Wayne G.F. Harvard School of Public Health, Division of Public Health Practice, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
2 PLoS Med. 2007 Jul;4(7):e185. Should the health community promote smokeless tobacco (snus) as a harm reduction measure? Gartner C.E., Hall W.D., Chapman S., Freeman B.
3 Prying Open the Door to the Tobacco Industry’s Secrets About Nicotine. The Minnesota Tobacco Trial. Richard D. Hurt, M.D., Channing R. Robertson, Ph.D. JAMA. 1998;280:1173-1181.