Tobacco Documents Online

DRAFT YOUTH.DOC February 22, 1994 S PREVENTTNG YOUTH ACCESS TO TOBACCO PR4DUM • Philip Morris does not want children to smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products. For more than 30 years, the company has been adding to and refining its marketing policies and internal guidelines to ensure that its cigarette advertisements and promotional materials do not appeal to minors. Over the past three decades, the company has taken strong action and instituted formal programs on several fronts to both discourage youth smoking and prevent minors from obtaining cigarettes illegally. Res_ponsible Marketing Code o Philip Morris, along with other U.S. cigarette manufacturers, has adopted a responsible cigarette advertising and promotion code to encourage the fact that smoking is solely an adult activity. The code includes the following provisions: All models used in Philip Morris cigarette ads must be -- and look -- at least 25 years of age. Philip Morris will not advertise in any publication directed primarily at minors. Philip Morris also refrains from advertising in college newspapers, and has done so since the early 1960s, despite the fact that most college students are of legal age to purchase cigarettes. The company requires that all outdoor advertisements for its cigarette products be located at least 500 feet from schools, playgrounds or youth centers. Samples of Philip Morris cigarettes are never distributed in any public area to which minors have regular access. t"D

DRAFT YOUTH.DOC February 22, 1994 • Firms that distribute cigarette samples for Philip Morris must obey a number of restrictions, including requesting age identification, whenever there is any doubt as to a potential recipient's age. Philip Morris supports policies that limit unsupervised cigarette vending machines to areas where children and minors do not have regular access. Responsible Retail Programs o In the 1980s, Philip Morris and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) joined forces to create the "It's the Law" program, which was designed specifically to prevent illegal cigarette sales to minors. o In 1990, The Tobacco Institute adopted the It's the Law program and made it available to all retail outlets selling cigarettes. o In addition to NACS, which represents 1,400 retailers and 1,000 suppliers nationwide, more than 140 state retail and wholesale • associations have endorsed the It's the Law program. o Today, more than 1 million pieces of It's the Law materials have been distributed nationwide. Each package of materials contains state-specific information and colorful point-of-sale materials designed to educate retail employees and customers and prevent illegal sales of cigarettes to minors. o A cigarette vending machine version of the It's the Law program was developed in 1990 by the Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA). Over 100,000 pieces of It's the Law materials have been distributed to vending machine operators across the country. o It's the Law kits are distributed free by Philip Morris. Retailers interested in obtaining It's the Law materials should call 1-800-343- 0975. ~ ~ ~ ~ ce ZND ~ ~

DRAFT YOUTH.DOC February 22, 1994 • Support for Legislation o Philip Morris supported the establishment of 18-year old age limits for states that had no age limit or one lower than 18 for the purchase of tobacco products. o This legislation contained a number of provisions designed to restrict minors' access to tobacco products, including: Utilizing the vending industry's own guidelines that would situate vending machines at locations where minors do not have regular access; Enacting the cigarette industry's codes regarding sampling, couponing and the placement of outdoor advertising and promotional activities (these codes are patterned after PM's strengthened guidelines -- which have historically been more rigorous than other members of the industry; and Strengthening local penalties for sales to minors to include the minor and the establishment in violation. ! o In addition, PM supported federal legislation encouraging states with no minimum age laws or laws less than 18 to establish 18 as a minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products. Youth Education o The majority of studies on why young people begin to smoke indicate that peer influence, and the influence of parents and older siblings, is by far the most dominant factor in youth smoking. o Philip Morris was a major participant in the industry's nationwide multi-media campaign designed to help parents and teachers educate children on how best to resist peer influence to smoke. o Through advertisements in 17 major publications, such as TV Guide and Parade, with a combined circulation of more than 200 million readers, parents and teachers were offered free the industry- sponsored guidebook "Helping Youth Say 'No."'

DRAFT YOUTH.DOC February 22, 1994 • S o The industry has distributed 353,000 copies of "Helping Youth Say 'No,'" which assists parents in educating their children about adult choices like smoking and other activities inappropriate for minors. Trademark Enforcement o Philip Morris has a strict policy when it comes to manufacturers of childrens clothing, toys and candy who use our cigarette trademarks -- or likenesses of our registered trademarks -- on their products. o The company has taken out ads in 16 trade journals, warning such manufacturers that if they use our logos on kids products, we will pursue the action with all available legal means until they desist. o To date, Philip Morris has taken action more than 1,100 times to prevent the unauthorized use of the company's trademarks on kids' products. o When it comes to all branded merchandise licensed by Philip Morris, the company insists that all items manufactured with -our trademarks not be of special appeal to minors, and that all branded promotional clothing items be manufactured in one size only -- adult. Current Laws and Education Programs Already Comprehensive In addition to the self-imposed guidelines established by Philip Morris and the rest of the tobacco industry to discourage and prevent cigarette use by minors, states have been prompted by federal legislation to enforce their minimum age sales laws. The Public Health Services Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1992 stipulated that in order to receive substance abuse block grants, states were required to do the following: 1. Enact a tobacco sales restriction law with a minimum age of 18; 2. Enforce the law in a manner that is reasonably expected to prevent minors from purchasing tobacco products; and 3. Report annually to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) on their efforts to reduce illegal purchases of tobacco products by minors.

DRAFT YOUTH.DOC February 22, 1994 • In passing this legislation, Congress specifically stipulated that each state should be left to select the best mix of enforcement options. That way, states could maximize prevention of minors' purchases while balancing tobacco sales age enforcement with other economic, social and law enforcement priorities. Nevertheless, some groups and individuals have suggested that Congress has not done enough to restrict tobacco marketing and sales practices. We believe that the actions of the tobacco industry, coupled with federal and state government action, make further restrictions on cigarette marketing and sales practices redundant and unduly burdensome to the states. In response to the Public Services Health Act: o All 50 states now have minimum age laws of at least 18 for the sale of tobacco products; and o Nearly $2 billion in federal and substance abuse grant money to the states is now tied to state enforcement of minimum age laws for the purchase of tobacco products. In addition, comprehensive efforts to educate young people and dissuade them from smoking already exist in all 50 states, and public officials believe that these programs are working. For example, Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders stated in a January 1994 press conference, "We know that if children have one lecture on not smoking before the age of 14, they will probably never smoke, or you can reduce it 39 percent with just one lecture." According to an Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) report published by the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC): o Every state currently runs public health service messages related to tobacco. o Forty states specifically track or report youth smoking activities. 0

DRAFT YOUTH.DOC February 22, 1994 ~„~ The majority of students in public schools receive education aimed at ~ tobacco use prevention. Seventy-six percent of students have taken classes about risks attributed to smoking. Eighty-two percent have received messages via television and radio about risks attributed to smoking. Eight-two percent have also received messages from their doctors about risks attributed to smoking. o Every cigarette pack and advertisement in the U.S. carries the Surgeon General's federally mandated warning label. o Finally, recent surveys show that 75 percent of American youth disapprove of smoking. • Seventy-six percent of high school students believe smoking is "bothersome," "disgusting" or "stupid." (BKG Youth Survey, Advertising Age, April 27, 1992). Of 895 children surveyed, 98 percent said they believed smoking is harmful. ("Is the Smoking Decision an Informed Choice?" Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 257, pages 3373-76, 1987.)