Daily Doc: RJR, May 20, 1979: SAWP's 'Countermeasures' against Health
Daily Doc: SAWP's "Countermeasures" against Health
Title: An Update of Projects by ICOSI's Working Party on the Social Acceptability of Smoking
RJR, May 20, 1979
Bates #: 506206737/6747
November 3, 2000
In the late 1970's eleven major tobacco companies around the world joined together to form the International Committee on Smoking Issues, or ICOSI. The purpose of ICOSI was to determine how the companies would deal with the global proliferation of smoking restrictions and the unilateral decline in social acceptability of smoking around the world. A subcommittee of ICOSI was formed called the Social Acceptability Working Party or SAWP.
This document is an update on SAWP's progress in coming up with a plan to reverse the decline in the social acceptability of smoking.
We can see clearly from this document that the anti-tobacco arguments that were most most damaging to the industry and most effective at reducing the worldwide smoking rate and were 1) secondhand smoke and passive smoking, 2) the social costs of smoking on society and 3) the discourtesy of smoking in front of others.
Therefore, one of the items on SAWP's "to-do list" was
"V. Development of Countermeasures. [for these arguments]"SAWP concluded that the negative attitudes about smoking, if left unchecked
"... will eventually solidify into strong beliefs -- creating even further pressures for the suppression or banning of smoking in public places."They concluded that there was still time to change this, though, saying
"Right now these negative attitudes may be successfully attacked in most countries."The conclusion of the working party is expressed boldly, in caps, and underlined:
"WE MUST START TRYING TO MOLD PUBLIC OPINION FAVORABLY ON THE SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF SMOKING."This document reveals the beginning of nothing less than a full-frontal attack on what was, until then, a truly successful public health effort to communicate information about the dangers of tobacco use to the world's citizens and reduce the worldwide death rate from tobacco.
If it were not for the tobacco industry's actions, the global smoking rate would have continued to decline, and the death rate from tobacco use would have declined along with it. The tobacco industry's actions set world health back many decades. For this they offer no apology and no acknowledgement, but instead are asking us to simply forget their actions.
CITATION
Title: An Update of Projects by ICOSI's Working Party on the Social Acceptability of Smoking
Type of Document: Report
Author: International Committee on Smoking Issues (ICOSI)
Recipient: N/A
Date: 19790520
Site: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company document site http://www.rjrtdocs.com/
Bates No. 506206737/6747
Page Count: 11
URL: The R.J. Reynolds document site does not support the transfer of URLs. To view this document, go to the R.J.R. document web site at http://www.rjrtdocs.com/, and type or paste this phrase into the "quick search" box: AN UPDATE OF PROJECTS. This will return one document, the one you are looking for.
QUOTES
Across the world, Social Acceptability Issues take the form of three major thrusts on smoking, smokers and the industry:
(1) The Public Smoking (passive smoking) Thrust - Smoking is asserted to be socially unacceptable because it allegedly damages the health of others who happen to be in the presence of smokers.
(2) The Courtesy Thrust - Smoking is alleged to be socially unacceptable because it annoys others who happen to be in the presence of smokers.
(3) The Social Costs Thrust - Smoking is asserted to be socially unacceptable because it allegedly raises society's insurance and health care costs. Smokers allegedly require others in society to pay higher taxes and insurance premiums to "subsidize" the social costs supposedly generated by smokers.
MAJOR PROJECTS OF WORKING PARTY ON SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF SMOKING ISSUE:
I. Public Smoking Position Paper.
II. International Research Survey of public opinions and attitudes on the social acceptability of smoking.
III. Social Costs/Social Values Project.
IV. Meeting of National Tobacco Industry Trade Associations.
V. Development of Countermeasures.
I. Public Smoking Position Paper
Designed to provide the tobacco industry a common and worldwide position on the alleged harmful effects of smoke on the health of the non-smoker. The paper's conclusion: There is no scientific proof that tobacco smoke in the atmosphere causes disease in non-smokers.
II. International Research Survey of Public Opinions and Attitudes on the Social Acceptability of Smoking.
Objectives:
To track public opinion on social acceptability issues to determine: The relative importance of social pressures. Where the pressures are coming from (government, media, family, etc.) Reasons for pressure (health, annoyance, unsightly, etc.)
...Scope and Cost of Study:
Eleven countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, U-K, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and U.S.A. 600,000 U.S. $ split equally among 7 member companies of ICOSI.
KEY FINDINGS/CONCLUSIONS OF SURVEY (applicable to most all 11 countries):
Negative attitudes toward the social acceptability of smoking while widely held have not yet become strong beliefs among large segments of the population. These negative attitudes, if left unchecked, will eventually solidify into strong beliefs -- creating even further pressures for the suppression or banning of smoking in public places. Right now these negative attitudes may be successfully attacked in most countries. They may be susceptible to change. This study strongly suggests that the tobacco industry's challenge today is more than just answering legislators or fighting int he legislative arena...
WE MUST START TRYING TO MOLD PUBLIC OPINION FAVORABLY ON THE SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF SMOKING.
III. SOCIAL COSTS/SOCIAL VALUES...
Our approach to developing countermeasures is to attack the concepts of social cost analysis -- using highly reputable international people and their ideas.
ECONOMISTS - will show the social cost concepts are bad economics. PHILOSOPHER - A leading libertarian will show the social costs concepts do not fit into a philosophy of personal freedom and civil liberty. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGIST - will show smoking benefits society and its members in many complex ways. SOCIOLOGISTS - will show anti-smoking programs and groups are harmful to our society.
...V. STEPS FOR DEVEL0PMENT OF COUNTERMEASURES
1. At the meeting of national trade associations, a presentation will be made on the possibilities and potentials for exploring new countermeasure development. "Feedback" will be obtained from Association representatives...
2. A countermeasure assessment survey questionnaire will then be completed by each trade association -- noting successful and unsuccessful countermeasures used by them in the past...
3. A special countermeasures development "workshop" involving representatives of SAWP (Social Acceptability Working Party), special consultants and, most particularly, representatives of national trade associations is being planned for in the fall of 1979.
HIGHEST PRIORITY WILL BE PLACED ON EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES FOR COUNTERMEASURES THAT ASSOCIATIONS MIGHT USE TO HELP CHANGE PUBLIC OPINIONS ON THE SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY OF SMOKING (AS SHOWN BY THE OPINION SURVEY DATA).
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Anne Landman, Regional Program Coordinator
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
Grand Junction, CO
(970) 245-2120
afoxland@gj.net
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