Abstract
This Philip Morris memo, "YOUTH AND SMOKING PLAN," reveals the non-public purposes of the PM's youth smoking prevention campaigns: to gain goodwill for future legislative battles, provide legislators with "something to fight for, rather than against," and to help "put the antis [public health agencies] on the defensive and force them to expend their resources fighting our agenda, rather than pursuing their own."
The company's overt (public) objective for youth programs is to "demonstrate corporate responsibility."
According to the web site of Philip Morris International (http://www.philipmorrisinternational.com/pages/eng/ysp/YSP.asp), the company now "supports some 100 youth anti-smoking programmes in nearly 90 countries," thus helping the company fight public health efforts in nearly 90 countries around the globe under the cover of "corporate responsibility."
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YOUTH AND SMOKING PLAN (2/21/90)
OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate corporate responsibility and convey
to the public our conviction that smoking is an
adult custom.
STRATEGY: Take visible and positive steps to discourage
cigarette sales to minors. This strategy consists
of five key components:
1) Assist national and state organizations such as
the National Association of Convenience Stores
in developing a minimum age campaign to
educate store-owners and their customers that
a minimum age exists for lawful cigarette
purchases. Publicize this activity widely.
2) Support publicly legislation to raise legal
age to 18 and restrict vending machines to
areas of adult supervision.
3) Make a grant to an educational foundation or
institution to develop a program designed to
help youth make informed decisions about
choices they face.
4) Take legal action over trademark infringement
by candy, toy and video game manufacturers.
Publicize this action.
5) Identify some marketing practices to avoid.
********~************************~***************************~****
MINIMUM AGE CAMPAIGN
We have developed a campaign for the National Association of
Convenience Stores (NACS) which is designed to prevent unlawful
cigarette sales through signage, stickers and pamphlets. The
campaign is designed to educate store owners and their customers
regarding a state's minimum age laws. The material will aid store
owners in developing a policy to verify a customer's age, and will
indicate to customers that the establishment is intent upon
adhering to state law. NACS will make these campaign materials
available to store owners through periodic announcements in its
trade publications.
Similar campaigns can be developed for the Food Marketing
Institute, the National Association of Wholesale Grocers and the
National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA). The NAMA
campaign can include provisions that vending machines only be
placed in areas subject to adult supervision.
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SUPPORT MINIMUM AGE
Six states (KY, LA, MO, MT, NM and WY) do not have minimum age
laws. In Washington, DC, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the minimum
age for cigarette purchases is 16. In four states (DE, GA, NC and
VT) the minimum age is 17. In Alabama, Alaska and Utah, the
minimum purchase age is 19. In the remaining 35 states, the
minimum age is 18.
As part of a government affairs strategy, we will support bills
to:
o Establish a minimum age of 18 in the six states with no
requirement;
o Increase the age to eighteen in those states where the
minimum age is less than that;
o Strengthen penalties against minors who purchase and
those who cause minors to acquire cigarettes, and
against sellers who transgress the law, and bolster
enforcement;
o Make statutory the industry's sampling code;
o Limit the placement of vending machines only to areas
under adult supervision.
Efforts such as these significantly enhance our relationships with
legislators by giving them something to fight for, rather than
against. It also puts the antis on the defensive and forces them
to expend their resources fighting our agenda, rather than
pursuing their own. Furthermore, the goodwill gained in these
efforts will help us in other legislative battles.
GRANTS TO EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
In 1986 and 1987, the Tobacco Institute helped the National
Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) publish two
pamphlets, "Helping Youth Say No" and "Helping Youth Decide."
These materials assist parents in giving their children the tools
necessary to make responsible decisions about a host of issues.
We envision making a grant to NASBE or similar organizations to
develop programs which reiterate the above theme.
MARKETING PRACTICES
With the assistance of marketing, we will examine our practices to
identify those where there may be the mere appearance (to some) of
impropriety with respect to youth. For instance, product tie-ins
and give-aways involving sunglasses, t-shirts, baseball
caps/visors, gym shorts, walkman radios, frisbees and beach towels
may be things we can forgo.
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LITIGATION
we plan to vigorously pursue those manufacturers of toys, video
games and candy goods packaged in the likeness of our products.
We may also solicit the creation of written policies from the
associations of manufacturers discouraging this kind of product.
* * *
THE MEDIA: CONVEYING THE MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC
As a matter of long-standing policy, the.tobacco industry has
maintained that smoking is an adult custom and that children
should not smoke. This is not a health issue. Our message
consistently has been, and will continue to be, that our society
has determined that a number of activities demand a certain level
of maturity in order to partake and perform responsibly. Voting
is one. Smoking is another.
The preceding five elements form a "Corporate Responsibility
Program" much of which we can discuss and document to the media
when necessary. If need be, we can package this as some way to
distribute information about the program to journalists who focus
on this issue.
YOUTH
