Tobacco Documents Online

Telecopy to: Hugh Cullman From: Sam Chilcote For your information, as we discussed on the phone. Total pages: 2 pages November 26, 1984 ~0 "- et ~t8 ~0.: ~ /. 199 T0: S~L D. CHILCOTE, JR. C1,~ ~0~ ~ FROM: WILLI~ ~OEPFER, JR. SUBJECT: POSITION ON ~DICTION This is reconstructed from personal notes I made several months ago when, at our request, Pat Sirridge of Shook, Hardy & Bacon briefed the public relations division staff on what's being said, and what we might say, on the matter of cigarette addiction. What's being said o People smoke to get nicotine o Nicotine is psychoactive -- it influences behavior o Nicotine releases certain hormones or "opiates" which produce pleasure and relaxation o Stopping smoking produces withdrawal symptoms o People who wish to quit smoking often can't, or the recidivision rate is high o Such conclusions as those above have been reached by NIDA, WHO-and the American Psychiatric Association o Smokers compensate for low-yield cigarettes by smoking more o Smoking is a "gateway" to other drug use o Prescribed nicotine gum is an antidote It can also be argued -- o Smoking is different things in terms of time, place, etc. for different people -- that complexity doesn't fit addiction TIMN 0054213

CED Samuel D. Chilcote, Jr . "~4~..~_~t~e C~..~[~)~_. November 26, 1984 ~_ -~ur~. e~,-"~rs A4~?'*~a o The te~ addiction is heine used casually and its real meanin~ is bein~ lost; smokin~ should be called a custom or habit o Addiction should be defined accurately, not carelessly o Some s~toms of "withdrawal" can be associated ~th all sorts of inErained behavior or habits o Nicotine is not intoxlcatlnE -- it produces no "high" o People c~'t quit? More than 33 million have in this co.try -- 95 percent of them on their o~ without help -- and that is not characteristic of addiction o ~ere's no consensus in the literature that nicotine is addictive o At about the sa~ the ~erican Psychiatric Association labeled smokin~ as addictive, i~ dropped ho~se~allty as a disorder -- their disorder man~l seems more political than scientific -- and in it, tobacco does not fit their o~ definition of physical substance abuse o Coffee dri~inE is similar ~o smokinE o Re~ardinE recidivism, the majority of foyer s~kers who remain nonsmokers have not been studied scientifically -- is there somethin~ special about the recidivists that science should know? o If nicotine is a dru~, why are there different quit rates ~on~ different social strata? o If s~kers are pers~ded through propaganda that they are addicted, it ~ives them an excuse not to quit Use of this material Co~sel has advised us to make no co~ents on our o~ initiative on this subject so lonE as it is a basis for product liability suits aEainst Institute members. This advice is in keepinE with nodal advice to defendan~ clients and their a~ents and is not especially significant reEardin8 just this one subject. ~e "It can also be arEued" points above are provided in case of an inquiry which must be answered. ~SS ~