R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
In 1989, Oregon approved allowing doctors to indicate tobacco use on death certificates. An April 1992 article in the Los Angeles Times about the law reported that about one in four deaths was related to tobacco use.
The article can be seen at
http://tobaccodocuments.org/pm/2501360867A.html?pattern=2501360867a#images
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This lengthy (81 page) R.J. Reynolds (RJR) internal briefing manual discusses tobacco industry stands on issues such as secondhand smoke, advertising, fire-safe cigarettes, sponsorship, corporate contributions, and initiative and referenda. It also offers industry strategies on these issues.
Page 68 (Bates page 5075918570) addresses the issue of fire safe cigarettes, and warns of the threats of calls for fire-safe cigarettes: "State legislation mandating 'fire safety' standards for cigarettes could dramatically alter current cigarette design, decrease sales and increase exposure to lawsuits." The "Background" section discusses the public's concern for cigarette-related fire deaths:
"Proponents of 'fire safe' standards believe...the industry has a responsiblity to attempt to reduce the number of deaths resulting from fires caused by careless smoking." The strategy that follows does nothing to address these safety concerns, but instead flatly states, "Defeat all state and local 'fire safety' proposals through the TI and other available coalitions."
Page 70 (Bates page 507591859) addresses the particularly chilling subject of death certificates.
RJR actually argues that including information about tobacco use on death certificates "...is contrary to sound public health policy" and puts forth the thin argument that such questions are "likely to undermine efforts to achieve national uniformity in death certificate information by scrambling rather than clarifying the national data."