Tobacco Documents Online

SUBMISSION OF U.S. SMOKELESS TOBACCO COMPANY TO THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION "CAN TOBACCO CURE SMO~NG? A REVIEW OF TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION" JUNE 3, 2003

Summary The issue of tobacco harm reduction and the potential role of smokeless tobacco products in that effort is at a crossroads. The debate is no longer about whether smokeless tobacco is considered by the scientific community to be a significantly reduced risk alternative compared to cigarette smoking. The question now is whether that information should be communicated to adult cigarette smokers or whether it should be suppressed. Adult cigarette smokers in the United States have a serious misperception about the comparative health risks of cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use. That fact is evidenced by the results of a 2001 survey reporting that 82 percent of the adult cigarette smokers questioned believed that smokeless tobacco was just as likely to cause cancer as smoking cigarettes. Clearly, the level of disinformation in the marketplace is alarming, and there is a need to provide adult cigarette smokers with truthful information about the comparative health risks of tobacco products. A workshop or other forum sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission might help form a consensus as to how we move forward on this important public health issue, and could provide guidelines to ensure that any comparative risk communication is directed at adult smokers to avoid any unintended consequences. In light of the information vacuum that exists, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company must confront the question of whether it has a responsibility to step forward and communicate to adult cigarette smokers information regarding the comparative health risks of tobacco products. (i)

Summary The issue of tobacco harm reduction and the potential role of smokeless tobacco products in that effort is at a crossroads. The debate is no longer about whether smokeless tobacco is considered by the scientific community to be a significantly reduced risk alternative compared to cigarette smoking. The question now is whether that information should be communicated to adult cigarette smokers or whether it should be suppressed. Adult cigarette smokers in the United States have a serious misperception about the comparative health risks of cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use. That fact is evidenced by the results of a 2001 survey reporting that 82 percent of the adult cigarette smokers questioned believed that smokeless tobacco was just as likely to cause cancer as smoking cigarettes. Clearly, the level of disinformation in the marketplace is alarming, and there is a need to provide adult cigarette smokers with truthful information about the comparative health risks of tobacco products. A workshop or other forum sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission might help form a consensus as to how we move forward on this important public health issue, and could provide guidelines to ensure that any comparative risk communication is directed at adult smokers to avoid any unintended consequences. In light of the information vacuum that exists, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company must confront the question of whether it has a responsibility to step forward and communicate to adult cigarette smokers information regarding the comparative health risks of tobacco products. (i)