THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY SPENDS $4,000 PER MINUTE ON
PROMOTION ($2.5 BILLION A YEAR)

ONLY THE GROTESQUE ECONOMIC POWER OF THE
INTERNATIONAL TOBACCO COMPANIES CAN SUSTAIN THIS
OUTRAGE, AS THEY USE ECONOMIC BLACKMAIL TO INTIMIDATE

PUBLISHERS AND GOVERNMENTS.

76
I AM PARTICULARLY DISTURBED BY CIGARETTE ADVERTISING
THAT TARGETS VULNERABLE GROUPS WITHIN OUR POPULATION:
YOUNG PEOPLE, WOMEN, AND MINORITIES.

CIGARETTE FIRMS MANIPULATE MINORITIES, WOMEN, AND

YOUNG PEOPLE BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE HAVE THE STRONGEST

ASPIRATIONS TO CHANGE THEIR STATUS.

77
SO THESE ADS ASSOCIATE SMOKING WITH MAKING IT...

IN THE WHITE, OR ANGLO, OR MALE, OR ADULT WORLD.

THEY ASSOCIATE SMOKING WITH A HIGHER ECONOMIC STATUS

(WHEN REALLY HIGHER INCOME GROUPS ARE NOW SMOKING

LESS).

78
WE KNOW THAT THOSE WITH MORE EDUCATION TEND TO QUIT
MORE READILY. "THE MORE YOU KNOW, THE LESS YOU SMOKE."
BUT TOBACCO ADVERTISERS ASSOCIATE SMOKING --CONTRARY
TO ALL EVIDENCE-- WITH ROBUST ACTIVITY, ATHLETICS, SOCIAL
ACCEPTABILITY, SUCCESS, OUTDOOR LEISURE, AND EVEN GOOD

HEALTH.

79
ONE OF THE MORE OUTRAGEOUS ADVERTISING GIMMICKS IS
ONE CIGARETTE COMPANY'S "ALIVE WITH PLEASURE" THEME.
THIS IS CLEARLY AN EFFORT TO UNDERMINE THE SURGEON

GENERAL'S WARNING ON EACH PACK.
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING SHOULD REQUIRE, NOT "ALIVE WITH

PLEASURE"', BUT "DYING IN AGONY".

80
IN THE ADVERTISING WARS YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT PROOF.

THE TOBACCO COMPANIES SAY THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN
THAT ADVERTISING INCREASES CIGARETTE SMOKING.

OF COURSE, THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS ISSUE OF HUMAN
BEHAVIOR WILL PROBABLY PRECLUDE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF A CAUSAL LINK.

BUT TO MY MIND THE BURDEN OF PROOF SHOULD BE ON THE
TOBACCO INDUSTRY TO SHOW THAT ADVERTISING DOES NOT
INCREASE CONSUMPTION OF A PRODUCT THAT WE KNOW LEADS

TO DEATH WHEN USED AS INTENDED.

81
IN THE 1850s JOHN SNOW ENDED THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC IN
LONDON BY REMOVING THE HANDLE OF THE BROAD STREET
WATER PUMP, 30 YEARS BEFORE THE BACTERIUM CAUSING

CHOLERA WAS DISCOVERED.

FORTUNATELY HE DID NOT NEED TO CONTEND WITH A CHOLERA
INSTITUTE THAT DEMANDED THE PUMP KEEP WORKING UNTIL IT
WAS PROVED THAT WATER FROM THE PUMP WAS CAUSING THE

CHOLERA.

82
AT THIS POINT THE CIGARETTE COMPANIES TROT OUT THE OLD
LINE THAT THEIR ADVERTISING IS INTENDED ONLY TO ENFORCE
BRAND LOYALTY, AND TO GET CONSUMERS TO SWITCH TO THEIR
BRAND.

NO ONE REALLY BELIEVES THAT.

BRAND CHANGERS FORM ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF THE
MARKET.

THE REAL PURPOSE OF CIGARETTE ADVERTISING TO IS HOLD ON
TO THOSE SMOKERS ALREADY HOOKED --ADDICTED-- AND TO

ATTRACT NEW ONES.

83
IT WORKS.
RECENT STUDIES CONFIRM THAT INCREASED ADVERTISING
BRINGS ABOUT A HIGHER DEMAND FOR CIGARETTES IN

GENERAL, NOT JUST FOR THE BRANDS ADVERTISED.
WE KNOW ADVERTISING IS EFFECTIVE, AND THEY KNOW IT IS

EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE OF THE BRIEF EXPERIENCE WITH COUNTER-

ADVERTISING IN THE 1960s.

84
EARLY IN THE DEBATE ABOUT CIGARETTE ADVERTISING ON TV,
THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE RECEIVED EQUAL TIME FOR
COUNTER-ADVERTISING ABOUT THE HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED
BY CIGARETTE SMOKING.

THE RESULTS WERE SO DEVASTATING TO THE TOBACCO
INDUSTRY, THAT THE CIGARETTE FIRMS DECIDED THEY WOULD
RATHER HAVE NO ADVERTISING AT ALL ON TV, RATHER THAN
HAVE THE TRUE EFFECTS OF SMOKING BROUGHT BEFORE

AMERICAN VIEWERS.

85
(I WILL ADD PARENTHETICALLY THAT WE ARE NOW AT ABOUT
THE SAME STAGE WITH ALCOHOL ADVERTISING NOW.

FOR THE SAKE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, LET'S HOPE WE CAN
MOVE EVEN FASTER TO RESTRICT ADVERTISING FOR THIS OTHER

ADDICTIVE DRUG.)

86
IN CALLING FOR RESTRICTIONS ON CIGARETTE ADVERTISING I
STAND ON COMMON SENSE AND PROVEN HEALTH STUDIES.

I DON'T NEED TO HIDE BEHIND THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

I DON'T NEED TO USE OUR CONSTITUTION AS A SMOKE SCREEN.
AND THE "FREE SPEECH" ARGUMENT USED BY TOBACCO

ADVERTISERS IS A SMOKE SCREEN.

YOU DON'T SEE THESE PEOPLE OUT IN FRONT ON OTHER FIRST

AMENDMENT ISSUES.

87
FREE SPEECH HAS NEVER BEEN AN UNLIMITED RIGHT:

WE ALL KNOW YOU CAN'T YELL "FIRE" IN A CROWDED THEATRE.

FREE SPEECH CANNOT INJURE THE COMMON WELFARE TO SERVE
THE COMMERCIAL INTERESTS OF A FEW.

THE FIRST AMENDMENT WAS NOT INTENDED TO ALLOW LIES TO
BE FOISTED ON THE PUBLIC. |

MOST CIGARETTE ADVERTISING IS LIES.

IT ASSOCIATES WITH ROMANCE, GLAMOUR, ATHLETICS, SUCCESS

SUBSTANCES WHICH INSTEAD LEAD TO DISABILITY AND DEATH.

88
FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION IS NOT EXTENDED TO SPEECH
ENCOURAGING ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.

TOBACCO ADVERTISERS DEPEND UPON REACHING YOUNG
PEOPLE.

MOST OF THOSE WHO SMOKE BEGAN BEFORE THEY WERE
TWENTY, OR EVEN 15.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE CONTINUED STRENGTH OF THE TOBACCO
MARKET DEPENDS ON THOSE TO WHOM THE PRODUCTS CANNOT

BE LEGALLY SOLD.

89
THEREFORE, RESTRICTIONS ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING MEET

THE CONSTITUTIONAL TEST IN AT LEAST TWO WAYS:

1. IT IS APPROPRIATE TO BAN COMMERCIAL SPEECH THAT IS
MISLEADING OR FRAUDULENT.
AND
2. IT IS APPROPRIATE TO BAN COMMERCIAL SPEECH

RELATED TO ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.

90
FOR ALL THEIR TALK ABOUT "FREEDOM", TOBACCO INTERESTS

ARE GREAT ENEMIES OF FREEDOM.

FAR FROM BELIEVING IN FREE SPEECH, TOBACCO ADVERTISERS
USE THEIR ECONOMIC CLOUT TO FORCE PUBLISHERS NOT TO
PRINT ARTICLES ABOUT THE REAL CONSEQUENCES OF SMOKING.

CIGARETTE ADVERTISING, FAR FROM ALLOWING FREE CHOICE,

ACTUALLY UNDERMINES FREE CHOICE.

NICOTINE ADDICTS DO NOT ENJOY FREE CHOICE.

91
FINALLY, LET'S BE UP-FRONT ABOUT THE SPECIAL CHALLENGE
FACING TOBACCO ADVERTISERS:

MOST PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR PRODUCT WOULD RATHER NOT
USE IT.

AS MANY AS 90% WISH TO QUIT.

MANY TOUGH IT OUT, BREAK THEIR ADDICTION, AND SUCCEED IN

QUITTING.

92
THE ADVERTISERS NEED TO REPLENISH THE DIMINISHING
SUPPLY OF TOBACCO USERS:
REMEMBER THOSE 1,000 SMOKERS WHO DIE EVERY DAY.

MEANWHILE, ADVERTISERS RECRUIT MORE VICTIMS.

93
WE MUST ALSO CONCERN OURSELVES WITH THE EXPORT OF
TOBACCO PRODUCTS.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THE UNITED STATES WILL EVER AGAIN BE A
GOOD MARKET FOR TOBACCO PRODUCTS.

THE CURVE IS GOING DOWN AND ACCELERATING.

BUT IF WE HAVE BEATEN THE CIGARETTE INDUSTRY ON ITS OWN
HOME TURF WE'VE DRIVEN THEM TO SCOUR THE REST OF THE

EARTH FOR NEW VICTIMS.

94
THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY -- AS YOU ALL KNOW, I AM SURE -- HAS
TARGETED THE LESS DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
OF THE WORLD AS THEIR MOST PROMISING MARKETS FOR THE

1990s.

IT IS THE HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY FOR THE UNITED STATES, IN
OUR WAR AGAINST DRUGS, TO DEMAND THAT FOREIGN NATIONS
TAKE STEPS TO STOP THE EXPORT OF COCAINE TO OUR
COUNTRY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME WE EXPORT NICOTINE, A
DRUG JUST AS ADDICTIVE AS COCAINE, TO THE REST OF THE

WORLD.

95
AND we need to TAKE ON THE TOBACCO COMPANIES IN OUR OWN
COMMUNI Ties.

A GOOD PLACE TO START IS THE VENDING MACHINES. vending
machines should be taken from smoke-free working sites, or course, and
they should be banned outright because of the way they HOOK OUR KIDS

ON CIGARETTES.

HERE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE CODDLED CIGARETTE

COMPANIES.

96
IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL BOTH ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES TO
MINORS. THAT IS BECAUSE ALCOHOL AND NICOTINE ARE THE
TWO MAJOR LEGAL ADDICTING DRUGS IN OUR SOCIETY.

WE WOULD NEVER TOLERATE SELLING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
IN VENDING MACHINES, BUT SOMEHOW WE TOLERATE

CIGARETTE VENDING MACHINES.

97
LOOK AT THE LAWS DEALING WITH SELLING CIGARETTES TO
MINORS.

OUR NATION'S CAPITAL, WITH ALL THE HOOPLA ABOUT FIGHTING
DRUGS, CAN FINE AN OFFENDING MERCHANT WHO SELLS
CIGARETTES TO A MINOR ONLY $2. ACROSS THE POTOMAC, IN
VIRGINIA, THE FINE GOES ALL THE WAY TO $25. IT'S A PITIFUL
TESTIMONY TO OUR CRIMINAL TOLERATION OF SELLING

CIGARETTES TO MINORS.

98
YET, GETTING A KID ADDICTED TO NICOTINE SEEMS TO BE ONE

OF THE MOST CERTAIN WAYS TO CUT SHORT A PROMISING LIFE.

THE CIGARETTE VENDING MACHINES SHOULD BE THE NEXT

TARGET IN THE CRUSADE AGAINST SMOKING.

99
I MAY HAVE HUNG UP THE UNIFORM OF THE SURGEON GENERAL,

BUT I HAVEN'T RETIRED FROM THE FIGHT AGAINST SMOKING.

TOGETHER, WE'RE GOING TO WIN IT.

THANK YOU.

HH #F

100
SPEECH

PARKVIEW HOSPITAL

FORT WAYNE, IN

OCTOBER 11, 1990

C. EVERETT KOOP, MD

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