LaTanisha Wright worked for the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., based in Louisville.
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“My goal is to educate people in churches, schools and community centers, as well as public health officials,” Wright said. She said her experience in the tobacco industry makes her better able to help people now.
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In her comments, La Tanisha Wright, National States Director for the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network makes a number of rhetorical claims about tobacco companies.
Unfortunately for her and her organization, her claims are simply wrong. As the maker of Newport cigarettes we should know. The facts are important – and here they are.
In the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) with the state Attorneys General, Lorillard agreed to severely limit its marketing practices, including an agreement not to directly or indirectly market our products to youth. The agreement, among other actions and measures, has achieved the lowest level of youth smoking in recorded history.
Lorillard and all of the other major tobacco companies stopped advertising on billboards, in arenas, stadiums, shopping malls, or on other large signs more than a decade ago. Ms. Wright simply has it wrong when she says we are posting billboards in African American neighborhoods to induce youths to smoke. Just because she says we are doesn’t make it so. The fact is that youth smoking rates are down and that African American youth smoke at a much lower rate than white youth.
It’s time to set the record straight.
Posted on behalf of Lorillard Tobacco Company
Comment by Charcom — November 5, 2009
Give it a rest, Lorillard—you’re only making yourself look even lamer! 47,000 African Americans die annually from smoking-related diseases—even though they begin smoking later in life than other races and smoke fewer cigarettes per day. While the tobacco industry targets people of all ages, races, and creed, Lorillard and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Companies will continue to devastate Black communities. Their predatory marketing practices, aimed at increasing menthol use, smoking, and addiction will continue to burden the African American community with disease, disability, and death.
In 1977, Fred Schultz, Lorillard Tobacco Vice President for Research & Development, stated, “We should continue to pursue the concept of nicotine enhancement.” Higher nicotine content makes cigarettes more addictive and smoking harder to quit. It was reported in 2006 that cigarettes in 2004 yielded the smoker an average of 10% more nicotine per cigarette than in 1998. Newport increased 10% and KOOL increased 30%. Newport and KOOL are both mentholated brands heavily marketed to Black communities.
“Are you kidding? We don’t smoke the sh@%, we reserve that right for the poor, the young, the BLACK, and the stupid,” responded an RJ Reynold’s tobacco executive in 1993 (after being asked if he smoked).
For more quotes, visit ANR, Americans for Non-smoker’s Rights at http://no-smoke.org/document.php?id=284
Comment by TobaccoFREE — November 30, 2009