Tobacco Documents Online

NF7W YORK HEiAILD TRIBUNE New York, New York March 13, 1962 British Get the Word on Sinokin.g dy Thr Aeaoeroltd Prnxr LONDON. The Conservative govern- mexit pledged yesterday It Q ilf do all In Its poa er to acquaint the British public with a new medical report stating that cigarette-smoking causes lung cancer. The report, by a committee of ' the Royal College of Pliysicians, was made public last week. Health, Minister Enoch PoM elll in reply to questions inthe House of Commons; de- clared : "The government certainly does accept that this report demonstrates authoritatix•e1yv and crnshtngly the causal'con- nectiom between smoking anri lung: cancer." Mr. Poaell!said the govern- ment is "asking, local health .aut'horittes to use all their channels of health education to make the conclusions wide- I;v known, and make clear the dangers to health of smoking. particularly of cigarettes." The government will pro- Tide these authorities public- itv material to get the mes. ,age across. Mr. Powell rate no in- dicatlon how much, money the government was prepared too spend on, the campaign. The Royal College of' Sur- geons' committee reeomr mended that the government place a prohibitive tax on cigarettes in an attempt to public to cigars and pipes: which it held to be much less dangerous to health. Mri. Powell said this ree- ommendation is under coni- sideration by the governo ment. He said' the government also is thinking over the re- port's suggestion that it should exercise some sort of control over cigarette adiver- tnsing and that it should set up clinics to help cure addicts i Jeremy Thorpe. a member. of'the Liberal party, said the Health Ministry should "step up theirr investigatiotts Into anti-s:noking tablets which could be proauredlunder the National ]Dealth Service." Mr. Powell said the gov- ernm:^nt has that in mind too. Preticr,igtion:s issued un- der the tax-supported Na- tional Health Service cost onlp•a tokem twoshillings(2g centsi. Education Nfiniste:• Sir David Eccles told' thr Com- mons his department also is seeking to give the medical report the widest possible publicity. "Children and young peo- ple," he said. "must be warned In every way possible of the danger to itheir future health, of smoking, particu- larly of' cigaret'trs. and dis+. couraQed' from, forming thee smoking habit: "