Tobacco Documents Online

MISSOURI ASSIST SUMMARY T!3052-0334

MISSOURI ASSIST SUMMARY -- LOBBYING ACTIVITIES The American Stop Smoking Invention Study for cancer prevention ("ASSIST") is a federally funded, collaborative effort between the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, along with state and local health departments and other voluntary o~anizations, to develop and implement comprehensive tobacco control programs in seventeen states, including Missouri. Missouri Project ASSIST ("MO ASSIST") apparently has engaged in a wide variety of direct and indirect anti- tobacco lobbying activities at the local level, and planned to do the same at the state level, according to documents obtained through Freedom-of-Information Act requests and other public materials. MO ASSIST's Stated Objective Is To Support Anti-Smoking Public Policies MO ASSIST's stated objective is to support policies which: [R]estrict tobacco industry access to minors, limit exposure to secondhand smoke, increase economic incentives to discourage Wbacco use, establish Wbacco-free schools and restrict Wbacco advertising targeted toward children. Attachment 1 at 19 (emphasis added): see also Attachments 2, 8. MO ASSIST equated "policy advocacy" with lobbying: A leadership training was held.., to educate ASSIST coalition and committee chairs about policy promotion and media advocacy . . . [T]he Missouri Women's Network... discussed the separation of education and lobbying. Attachment 3 at 3 (emphasis added); see also Attachment 4. To accomplish its goals, MO ASSIST worked with the Missouri Coalition on Smoking and Health (the "Coalition"), an existing anti-smoking organization. Indeed, the Coalition "interact[ed] with the Missouri ASSIST project to consider legislation that fulfills ASSIST objectives. A number of people sit on both coalitions." Attachment 5 at 3 (emphasis added); see also Attachtnents 6, 7, 8, 11.

2 II. MO ASSIST Planned To Lobby State Legislators Members of MO ASSIST apparently attended a conference in California entitled "Increasing State Tobacco Excise Taxes Through Initiated Acts - A National Training Conference," which was sponsored by the American Lung Association of Sacramento. Attachment 9. MO ASSIST used federal funds for this activity. Attachment 10. IIl. MO ASSIST Lobbied Local Officials MO ASSIST planned to support a youth advocacy training project which would culminate in a youth rally. The project was designed to generate support for youth access ordinances across Missouri. Attachment 11 at 143; see also Attachment 12. MO ASSIST similarly intended to use $16,000 of ASSIST funds to support a St. Louis policy advocacy project that would "[e]mpower youth in the community to speak out in support of local tobacco control public policies." Attachment 11 at 151. The project's objective was to "[p]ass local ordinances in the St. Louis metropolitan area identifying enforcement agencies for restricting the sale of tobacco to minors." Id. (emphasis added). MO ASSIST'S local coalition in Kansas City was particularly active. Attachments 15, 16. For example, coalition members apparently retained a consultant to lobby anonymously: [The consultant] spoke either directly or through staff to each councilmember. I did not identify myself as a consultant for this project, but as a Kansas Citian, concerned with youth tobacco issues. In each instance my identify was not a factor. Attachment 15 (attached summary notes) (emphasis added). MO ASSIST Apparently Used ASSIST Funds For Questionable Expenses In 1993, MO ASSIST expended funds on t-shirts, mugs and plaques. In 1995, MO ASSIST expended thousands of dollars on travel. Attachment 13. MO ASSIST also: (i) retained consultants to provide training and other services, and (2) rented expensive conference rooms and banquet facilities. Attachment 14.

Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ATTACHMENTS (excerpts only, unless otherwise noted) Documems MO ASSIST Action Plan MO ASSIST Newsletter, Summer 1994 MO ASSIST Quarterly Report, 4th Quarter, Phase I (July I, 1992- Sept. 30, 1992) MO ASSIST Quarterly Report, 2nd Quarter, Phase I (Jan. 1, 1992- Mar. 31, 1992) MO ASSIST Project Management Plan (Sept. 1993) MO ASSIST Site Analysis (Oct. 1992) MO ASSIST Quarterly Report, 2nd Quarter, Phase I, Year 2 (Jan. 1, 1993 - Mar. 31, 1993) (complete) MO ASSIST Quarterly Report, 3rd Quarter, Phase I, Year 2 (Apr. 1, 1993 - June 30, 1993) (complete) Notice of Gram Awarded to the American Lung Association of Sacramento (Sept. 30, 1992) Missouri Department of Health Monthly Expense Reports for 1993, with two letters dated Jan. 13, 1995 and Aug. 31, 1995 MO ASSIST Annual Action Plan (Aug. 1994) "Tobacco Road," St. Louis Post Dispatch (Apr. 6, 1996) (complete) 1995 MO ASSIST payments, invoices Invoices from consultants; assorted bills for conference rooms Minutes of Kansas City Worksite Committee Meetings Minutes of Kansas City Media Committee Meetings

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A TOBACCO CONTROL PLAN [] AMERICAN STOP SMOKING INTERVENTION STUDY TOWARD A Tobacco Free MISSOURI A Partnership Bem, een Missouri Department of Health and the American Cancer Society, Missouri Division, Inc. Produced by Missouri Department of Health Bureau of Smoking, Tobacco and Cancer

HOW WI~ CIET THIEKE: THE ASSIST ACTIOH FLAH A. Community Environment Policy initiatives and media advocacy are effective means to control tobacco use for the popula- tion as a whole, including youth, women of childbearing age. and those with a high school education or less. Increases in tobacCo price~ through taxation are most effective in keeping youth from smok- ing. Strong clean indoor air policies enforced in public places, including the work place, are most successful In establishing nonsmoking norms and encouraging cessation by women of c.~ildbearing age and Lhos¢ with a high school education or le~s. BACKGROUND MASS MEDIA. The media play a critical role in influencing what society knows, believes and does with respect to tobacco use. Over the past 2,5 years, media coverage of the tobacco and health Lssue has helped improve public awareness of smoldng hazazcls, sh~ed attitudes about smoking and lowered the percentage of smokers in the population. However, the public's under- standing of tobacco's hazards is still n:markably limited, particularly among those segments of the population at greatest ~sk of StudYing -- children, women of childbearing age and those with a high school education or less. An aggres- sive media approach can inform the public about tobacco use, provide information about smoking cessation ciasses and educate the pub- lic about policies that regulate tobacco. Photo: Kids dding, bike in the shadow of IoominE ciEaret~e billboard. The teFm media, a~ used here, Includes news- papers, magazines, radio, television, billboazds, newsletters and posters. Missouri has 53 daily and 230 weekly newspapers, 9-28 radio stations and 29 commercial and public television sta- tions. Most of the media is concentrated in Kan- sas City and St. Louis. Media offer many opportunities for messages beyond public service announcements. The me- dia can focus public debate on tobacco issues

OI MEC-- IVES: Community Environment Nonsmoking cues and messages in Missouri communities will have increased, and pro- smoking cues and messages in Missouri communities will have decreased. There will be substantially increased support for creation and enforcement of public policies in Missouri tl~at restrict tobacco indust~, access to minors, limit exposure to secondhand smoke, increase economic incentives to discourage tobacco use, establish tobacco-free schools and restrict tooa¢co advertising targeted toward Children. and inform the public about con- t.roversies surrounding tobacco and the tobacco companies" unethical practices. Counter-adverLising and promotion of special events and existing smoking cessation pro- grams are effective ways to carry tobacco issues to the public. cific media activities COuld include: v" Hentions in news programs and entertainment program- rhine; v" Billboard advertising; v" ",~lagazine" and interview shows (including radio call-ins): v" Editorials in television, radio, newspapers and magazines: v" HP_,alth and political columns in newspapers and magazines; and v" Feature and in-depth news stories in spe- cialized community newspapers, profes- sional journals and association newsletters. t-lass media also can provide an effective way to influence social norms about tobacco use Photo: ~V reporter interviewing nonsmoking advocate among high-risk popu- lations. T1~¢ media can reach women of childbearing age with forceful messages con- ceming the exposure of chiidre.n to environ- mental tobacco smoke, smoking dur- ing pregnancy and ceptive marketing of tobacco products to young women. Nedia exposure of retailers who sell to youth can increase public pressure for compliance with the restrictions on sale to youth. Highlighting tobacco as a drug during annual events may reach many youth and parents with a message about the addictive na- ture of tobacco. Aflgress[ve news stodes, televi- sion and radio commercials, newspaper featur~ articles and local media (e.g., billboards) can reach those with a high school education or less. Radio talk shows, bus placards and small, local- ized posters offer special access to inner-city audiences.

The Missouri Legislature and Iocat p=oveming councils arc primarily responsible for the creation of tobacco- related pubilc policies. Photo: Young. person in balcony of Mo House of Reps watching legislators I~JI~LIC FOLICY. Tlqe PIkssouri Le~slature convenes ~nu~ly from J~u~ un~l ~d-Hay. ~ H~ou~ Senat~ ~ of 54 m~mb~ elected to four-y~ t~. ~e M~ufi House of E~pr~cn~v~ b ~c up of 163 m~mbe~ who s~wc twmy~ tc~. ~c s~tc ~ dirtied in~ i l# coun~, plus ~ cI~ of SL ~uis. ~g In ~pula~on from l~ ~ 3.000 to morc ~ on~ ~llion. p~[~ ~clud~ county ~[o~. ~ coun- cils. ~yom and O~ ~C clotted offici~ ~d public ~enci~ cr~tc and enforce public ~cy ~i~a~ves cm~ co~c~ ~ p~y cr~on of ~ba~tC~ public ~li~. Hem- bexs of ~ss-roots or~nlzatlons, private Individu- als and professional lobbyists oi~en play a signifi- cant rote in the creation of laws by supplying in- formation and feedback to the ejected officials. The judicial branch, statewifle public agencies and local enforcement agencies am responsible for enforcement of polic2es, Missouri has a moderate statewide law (the 1992 Clean Indoor Air Act) that limits smoking in public places. A second law enacted in that same year re, stricts tobacco sales to minors. Missouri has the sixth lowest tobacco tax in the country and no state tax on spit tobacco, cigars or pipe tobacco. Missouri has almost no reslnJcldons on the placement of tobacco advertisLng.

Because policy initia~ives a[fect the entire Missouri population, they are an effective way to estab- l~sh and maintain community norms that affect high-risk populations, i~lajor pro~Iress can be made Ln the areas of clean indoor air, tobacco industry access to youth, tobacco-free schools, tobacco pricing and tobacco advertising: Clean Indoor Air. In August 1992. the His- souH Clean Jndoor Air Act became law. Tl~is rep- resented a victory for the more than 70 percent of Htssour~arm who do not smoke. The purpose of the law is to limit public smoldng to desig- nated areas. The law mandates that public places -- including stores, workplaces and meet- ings of governmental bodies -- may designate no more than 30 percent of the total area smokdng, l~ublic places also may be declared I O0 percent smoke-free. Any person or business violating the Clean indoor Air act can be fined. Local law enforcement agencies are responsible for responding to citizen complaints and for fil- ing reports for legal act, ion. Local municipalities may choose to pass more sU~_ngent clean indoor Tobacco Industry Access to Youth. Ninety percent of smokers are addicted before a~e 2 I. In order to control the availability of tobacco to youth. Hissouri needs to streng~then and enforce the existing laws and adopt measures to license retailers for the sale of tobacco. Banning the sale of tobacco from vending machines, the free dis- L,-ibu~ion of tobacco products and the sale of single cigarettes are possible future policy initia- tives to reduce tobacco use by minors. air laws.