Tobacco Documents Online

nstitute Newsletter VREPAREDFOR YOUR INFORMATION BY'THE.IHSTITl1TE.STAFF77761N'STREET„N.W.,,WASHIINGTON, D.C. 20006 • 296+ee64 Number 100 June 10, 1974 RESEA'RCHI HARVARD'S SELTZER has found that among 794 war veterans~examined twice-at a five-year interval, "the'combined effects of giving up cti'garettes:and the over-all gain tin, weight pro- duced f,ar greater risks of critical levels of hypertension'than, continuing to smoke cigarettes." Hypertension--high blood'pressure--can be a forerunner of stroke. It's sometimes called a,"silent killer."' Medical literature--'"some" of it, according to the Public Health. Service,, and "most" of it,, according to a more extensive independent review--shows smokers tend to have lower blood pressure than nonsmokers. Whether this was simply "associa- tiion," or "cause-and-effect,"'hasn't been known. BUT WHAT SELTZER publlishedl,, in the AmericaniHeart Journali, was data that "suggest that,cigarette smoking tendis to have an inh'ibiti~ng effect on blood pressure."' WASHi'.NGTON ROLE OF THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE in the refusal of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to regu- late "tar" and nicotine was disclosed when the Commission made,public a memo from its'general counsel which,said, "We cannot legitimately assert jurisdictilon.," The Commission''s chief attorney made up his mind, he said, after reviewing the Feb. 1 petition to regulate from Sen. Moss (D-Utah); a memorandumifiled March 6 by TI President Kornegay and an opinion rendered April 8 by the U.S. General' AccountingiOffice, both of wh,ich documented CPSC's lack of jurisdiction; and memos~from two~CPSC staff:lawyers who were divided in their judgment. ACCORDING TO Advertising Age, the FCC is "one sttep,closer" to making a decision on aistaff report that urges reversal of the 19:67 ruling re- quiring antismoking, broadcast spots (Newsletter 90). Said Ad Age:, °It's understood that there is substanti,al support for abandoning the i n% antismokiiTg

-2- decision on the basi's that while it' may have been appropriate:at the time--before Congress''ban on tv ads for cigcmets--it has been viewed as a precedent by courts rul'ing in favor of equal time to criticize advertised products less controversial than cigarets." MEDIA RAVENHOLT, an M',.D. and director of &subdivision of State Dept.'s Agency for International Develop- ment, resurrected the aging allegation that radioactive polonium 2110 in cigarette smoke is hazardous to the smoker., Visiting Louisville, he told the Courier-Journal that radiation from cigarettes is akin to standingiin front of an X-ray machine for a long time. Courier-Journal said: "Both The Tobacco Institute and the National Cancer Institute nx~Was Un_gton, D:C. say, how- ever, that the evidence for such conclusions isn't at all cZ'ear."' IN AN EDITORIAL, the Boston Globe announced it will resume accepting cigarette advertisi_ng after a five-year ban. Globe said that while it maintains that cigarettes are hazardous to healith,, "there is a larger question here--one of access." The paper said it has "a responsibility to its public to allow the varying voices of the community appropriate access to its advertising space." A few days later the Globe printed an emotional attack, on its new policy writteniby its ownn medical editor. "..LAUGHABLE'IF IT WERENi'T SO1APPALLING" is the way the Elyria, Ohio Chronicle-Telegram views funding ideas for the national health program as proposediby:A.~res of St. Vincent's Hospital (Newsletter 99), who said smokers should foot the bill for all medical expenses~stemming from what he called smoking-reliated diiseases., The Chronicle-Telegram said the proposal "has the,earmarks of'a publicity-seeking,device" and added:. "We hope Dr. Agres and his strange proposittion are forgotten quiakZy by,the American Lung Assn., and everybody eZse. The national heaZth,plan is complicated enough with- out ideas like his." NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE'S Gio Gori told Journal of the American Medical Assn., that,the "smoke ring," a small, bevelled, metal ring, through which a cigarette is drawn to allegedly reduce smoke temperature, does not make,the cigarette any safer. He said that "prebiminary testing of'the smoke ring has produced'no evidence to support the heaZ'th claims" made by the manufiacturer.. JUNKET:: London Times ran a six-column report by its correspondent, one of nine British newsmen wholaccepted an expense-paid invitation from a U. S. "soft margarine" mfr., to be briefed in Chicago by heart researcher Stamler on the effects of diet on heart disease.. The report was explicit 6" e trip begain in the Mayfair office of a public relations compemy for drinks, snacks and fmniZiarization before we sZ'ipped'into large DaimZers for the smooth, fast, quiet ride to the airport") and made it clear that Stamler promoted' the pro- duct. NOTING MOVES'to "protect" nonsmokers in restaurants, a Little Rock columnist recommended a law banning electronic musical instruments and requiringirestaurants to set aside places of absolute silence for diners who wish them. I C W (71 G.lT G:. GD N . ~ abft=

_ 3- NONSPIOIQER ISSUE STUDENT LEGISLATURE at Univ. of'Calif. at Davis voted unanimously toiban smoking in classrooms. Richard Holdstock, campus environmental health and safety officer who supports the ban, was asked'by a Davis Enterprise reporter if he thought that smoking hinders learning. His repl.y:0~I'in a bad one to ask since I'm stuck rvith, the habit. When I:'m doing, my best work I'm probably, smokireg more than, at mzy other time. I even forget how many,I'ue had:" LOUISIANA DENTAL ASSN. passed a resolution at its delegates' meeting to ban~smoking,from all official LDA meetings. Also, the Louisiana Public HeaTthiAssn. resolved to segregate smokers at all of its meetings. MENDOCINO COUNTY (Santa Rosa, Caliif.) board of supervisors adopted a strong no smoking ordinance that applies to all county owned buildi~ngs. FORTH, WORTH (Tex.) isn't going to have any smoking ban. City councilmen snuffed the smouldering idea when the city attorney told them he 'd' be gilad to draw up an ordinance if someone could' tell him~how it could be enforced. A RESOLUTION to segregate smokers at Fremont Union High School districtt board meetings ('suburban San Jose,: Ca1if.) was tabDed indefinitely. Collier County commiss:ion (Marco Island, Flai.) voted to ban smokingiduring its meetings., CITY COUNCIL in Houston, rescinded its vote to ban smokingiat Sam Houston. Coliseum during Aeros hockey games:(Newsletter 99): but asked fans not to smoke because of players'' complaints. MINNESOTA State Medical Assn., unanimously passed a resolution to urge hospiltals in the state to prohibit cigarette sales and to ban smoking except in designated areas. "SMOKING may be a disagreeable habit," said!a Dallas News editorial, "and one that well-mannered persons do not foist on unwilling associates. But:i't is not a proper item for city goverronent--or any government, for that matter--to attempt to control." The editorial went on to say that a pending ordi- nance would be "impossible to enforce"' and "moul'd be an exercise in futi'lity-- unl'ess, of'course, the council feeis that police have other crime problems mell:under cont'roL and' cam afford the manpower to enforce the l.inw. " Two days later, the city counc'i!1 voted downithe proposed ban, instead urged operators and, owners of es:tabliishments open to the public to be sensitive to the needs of nonsmokers in confined areas on,a voluntary basi!s.. "TURN," Texans United for the Rights of the Nonsmoker, is re- portedly organi!zing a membership drive in San Angelo and has been actively lobbying.for smoker segregation in Texas restaurants and for a smoking ban at a local coliseum., WITH COOPERATION from,the New Mexico Lung Assn., a new chapter of Group Against Smokers' Pollution (GASP) was formedl. A,spokesman for the:new group told the A1'buquerque Journal that the two main goals of the organ- ization. "are to educate people to 7e ever-increasing,social and health problems of cigarette smoke poZlution" and "to get state legislation by 1975 to protect people in public places, such as libraries, public conveyances and theaters."

-4!- HIDDEN BENEFIT: At least one airline lets passengers who"ve asked for rear-of-the-cabin smoking seats board first, to smooth the down-the-aisle traffic. Result is that some non- smokers express smoking-seat preference, then board first and'd sit up front, thus beating,less crafty nonsmokers to the choice of window seats or whatever. PfOPLLE DR. ROBERT DUPONT, director of the National Lnstitute of Drug Abuse, told a meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn. in Detroit that tobacco is "probably the most deadly drug in our society." He said that "people who use cigarettes have the scm+e problem as heroin users., Both groups have a problem of control from morning to night 365 days a year. " Boston Globe said DuPont is reportedly a leading contender to run a new,federaagency, the Alcohol, Drug, Abuse and Mental Health Administration. WASHINGTON~Pbst reportedlthe following, in full: "The disciplinary, committ'ee of the U.S: District court here is considering whether a George Washington University law professor acted improperly in issuing a press release last f,aZZ in connection i,ti<t)i the Agnew case. The cormrittee of three lawyers held a hearing yesterday on the complaint of federal ,judges,in Baltimore that Frof. John F. Banzha III may have vio- Zated professional standards. Banzhaf's press release concerned his motions to~bar newsmen frcm,being subpoenaed; to have a special prosecutor appointed'in the case, and described'ot3ier cases: he had been invoZved:in. The corrmittee took under advisement' Banzhaf's motion to dismiss the com- plaint. The Baltimore judges alleged that Banzhaf''s press release tvas a. 'self laudatory''statement 'calculated to attract cZients.' Banzhaf replied that he is a saZcmied public interest Zrnwyer raho does not' seek clients " L TA'kE5 NEW YORK STATE Dept. of Taxation and Finance i.s printing business envel!opes with a special message: "Report Cigarette BootIegging., Tele: 212/267-1617 Write Canal, P. 0. Box 45'0, New York, NY 10011." **~ *** *~* *** TOBACCO INSTITUTE'S half-hour movie, "Smoking & Health--The Need to Knowy" passed the 100,000 viewer mark after 17 months of circulation to:community audiences throughout the country. Stressing the research needed to re- solve questionable charges against tobacco,, the film includes interviews with more than a dozen scientists. It is recommended for adult viewing, and is not available for televisi~on. ###I