Tobacco Documents Online

• Copyright 1996 The Richmond Times Dispatch The Richmond Times Dispatch Apri113,1996, Saturday, CITY EDITION SECTION: BUSINESS, Pg. C-1 LENGTH: 939 words HEADLINE: FREE CAMELS MAILED TO YOUTH; PARENTS FIND IT TOUGH TO GET SON OFF LIST BYLINE: Chip Jones; Times-Dispatch Staff Writer BODY: Albert Minter is a 14-year-old Boy Scout who doesn't smoke and has pledged to stay away from tobacco. ~ With Albert's age and his recent promise to his parents, his mother was stunned several weeks ago to receive a package from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. It contained four packs of Camels and coupons for more cigarettes. "There was this wonderful letter saying he could obtain a free carton if he liked;" said Melanie Minter, a Goochland resident and local insurance agent who's been trying to get her son's name taken off Reynolds' mailing list. Nobody's sure who put Albert on the Camel caravan - the company's sample smokes and coupons are supposed to be restricted to adults -- but the Minters are sure of one thing: Once you're on the mailing list it's tough to get off. "When I saw them, I thought, Why in the world is a tobacco company sending my child anything?' " Melanie Minter said. Before Albert got home from school that day in late March, his mother called the 800- number on the Camel coupons. When she reached the number -- which answers as the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. -- she was asked her name, phone number, ZIP code and whether she smoked. N 0 00 • ~ She said she doesn't smoke. w ~

"The first (receptionist) said, 'We're not at liberty to talk to non-smokers,' " Minter recalled. The Reynolds telemarketer hung up. Minter tried again. Twice more she got the same message: No smoke, no help. Click. On the fourth call, Minter pleaded, "Don't hang up!" A sympathetic telemarketer said she would try to take Albert's name off the mailing list. Minter said she has received no official word that had been done. In fact, Albert recently received more Camel coupons, urging him to get on board. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. spokesman Richard Williams said his company's records show that Albert Minter's name was removed as soon as his mother called March 20. But before the boy's name was removed, Williams said, the North Carolina cigarette- maker already had mailed more Camel coupons, which should arrive in the mail soon. * "We're sorry Mrs. Minter's son received direct mail materials from us," Williams said. "We think we're scrupulous in our direct mail ... We apologize for any trouble it may have caused the family." Minter's father, Lloyd, is a smoker who is on the Reynolds list, too, according to the tobacco company. But Lloyd Minter says he's dead set against youth smoking and supports laws that make it "harder for kids to get cigarettes." Melanie Minter said this experience shows her how easily cigarettes can wind up in the hands of youths. "They do these mass mailouts ... when they're not even checking or verifying age," Minter said. Scanning the latest offer for a free carton of Camels, she said, "It simply says the order will not be processed without a signature and birthdate. I mean, so what? Anyone can fill out a birthdate." Williams, of Reynolds, defended his company's self-policing efforts -- a system akin to the one used by Philip Morris USA in sending out millions of Marlboro Gear items in return for cigarette coupons. N 0 i of .

. "We very scrupulously maintain our database and verify if someone is 21 years or older," Williams said. And if someone simply fudges their age? "The bottom line is, they're breaking the law -- it's mail fraud," he said. Williams said Reynolds averages about three to four complaints per year about free cigarettes being mailed to children. Anyone who wants to have their name removed from Reynolds' mailing list can call the company toll free (800) 778-5055. Health advocates and tobacco industry critics aren't so sanguine about the tobacco companies' practices. Dr. John Slade, a physician at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, conducted a nationwide survey of youths between the ages of 12 and 17. His findings, reported last year by Consumer Reports, said 11 percent of the youths surveyed owned at least one promotional item from a tobacco company. Based on those ~ results, Slade estimated there are 1.6 million teen-agers getting goods from Reynolds, Philip Morris USA and other tobacco companies. Health experts say the practice of sending samples through the mail is easily abused. "We see it happening frequently," said Dr. Michael P. Eriksen, director of the office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. After hearing about the Minters' experience, Eriksen commented: "It certainly suggests that the (tobacco companies) are not successfully self-policing themselves. There's a need for total prohibition of free samples." President Clinton has proposed banning free samples, mail orders and all tobacco advertising in teen magazines. Albert Minter is still scratching his head, trying to figure out why he's on Camel's mailing list. He has asked some friends, but they've denied putting his name on the list. "I subscribe to Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated," said Albert, a freshman at - Goochland High School. "Maybe they got my name off their mailing list."

~ Williams, the tobacco company spokesman, said Reynolds shouldn't be blamed for someone i misrepresenting themselves to the cigarette company. But he did dismiss one of Albert's suspects: the magazines. Reynolds does not buy subscription lists from magazines, the spokesman said. Albert Minter, for his part, is just glad his mother believed him when he told her he hadn't ordered the Camels. "I could have gotten into trouble with my parents," he said, "because I've tried smoking before." He added, "It's nasty." GRAPHIC: Photo LOAD-DATE: April 14,1996 Is - N 7` O 00 ~ W 6) N ~ ~

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