ASH Daily News for 14/10/1999
HEADLINES
Dear all,
Due to a rather hectic media day, we are enclosing our latest press
release. The daily news will be along.
ASH Press release
For immediate release
Wednesday 13 October 1999
Philip Morris ‘conversion’ thirty years too late
ASH dismissed the new ‘admissions’ on smoking and health by Philip
Morris as ‘cynical spin’. Amanda Sandford, Research Manger at ASH
London said:
“All they have done is admit what all respectable scientists were
saying thirty years ago, and they want applause for that. All these
‘admissions’ demonstrate is that they have spent decades defending the
indefensible.”
Philip Morris has admitted nicotine is ‘addictive’, but has qualified
this with “as that term is most commonly used today”. This formulation
has been used by other companies like BAT to compare the addictiveness
of tobacco and nicotine to addiction to shopping, love or the
internet.
Sandford said: “When they say that smoking is addictive, they need to
come out and say whether they mean addictive like heroin and cocaine,
or addictive like shopping. You just can’t trust them to give
straight answers.”
ASH said that it is the actions of Philip Morris now, not their words,
that matter. What are they going to do about their products now that
they have ‘admitted’ that smoking is harmful?
Sandford continued: “There is no sign from Philip Morris that they
care or feel any responsibility for the terrible toll of addiction,
sickness and premature death that they are now belatedly
acknowledging. There is no sense that they will support serious
measures to tackle the problem like raising taxes or banning tobacco
advertising and sponsorship.”
Contact: Amanda Sandford 0171 739 5902 or 0181 257 3501 or 0589
504040
Karl Brookes 0171 739 5902 or 01426 109 768
Karl Brookes
Project Manager
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
Tel: +44 (0)171-739 5902
Fax: +44 (0)171-613 0531
0589504040 (Mobile)
01426109768 (Pager)
Web: http://www.ash.org.uk
