Make Your Mark.Pdf

� � �� “We were targeting kids, and I said at the time it was unethical and maybe illegal, but I was told it was just company policy.”* Terrence Sullivan, a sales E rep in Florida for RJ Reynolds CONTENTS The Facts 2 What’s Tobacco Really About? 3 Getting People Involved 10 7 Steps to Make Your Mark 16 What if There’s a Setback? 23 Getting Resources 27 The Tool Box 37 Developing Project Ideas 37 What Have Other Youth Around The Country Done? 42 Worksheet: Developing an Action Plan 44 Selected Web Resources 45 APPEAL Contact Information 48 * Quoted in Philip J. Hilts’ Smokescreen — The Truth Behind the Tobacco Industry Cover-Up, 1996, Addison Wesley, pp. 96-98. 3 E WHAT’S TOBACCO REALLY ABOUT? IT’S ABOUT TARGETING YOUTH AND OUR COMMUNITIES... Because 440,000 Americans die from tobacco-related diseases each year, the tobacco industry must recruit replacement smokers. They shell out big bucks for research on how to sell their deadly products to youth and communities of color most effectively. ✱ Tobacco companies spent $12.47 billion on advertising and promotion (like magazine ads, in-store ads, bar/party promotions, sponsorship THE FACTS of events, direct mailings) in the United States in 2002. ✱ This means that the tobacco industry will spend in one day ($34 million) what California will spend on its public schools in one year1! The tobacco industry targets youth, women, communities Internal tobacco industry documents show that they target Asian Ameri- of color, the gay community and the poor with slick cans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs)2. When the AAPI population started advertising and promotional campaigns. booming in the 80s, the tobacco industry stood up and paid attention. ✱ Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, said “Asian smokers They pay researchers to study our cultures to find out appear to be a key market to focus on” because of high smoking what we do, what we care about and what we like. rates in their home countries. ✱ Another company referred to AAPIs as “a potential goldmine.” They try to buy their way into our communities by giving This is personal! The tobacco industry is targeting you, your friends and your to charities and sponsoring community festivals...they’ve family. In their own words: “ ‘First Generation’ Asians are important because even used the Virgin Mary to sell their product! they represent new smokers. However, they are…difficult to reach due to language and cultural factors. – Later generations are…easier to reach.” They use power and money to influence policies that affect But, tobacco industry documents aren’t the the health of people in the U.S. and around the globe. only evidence that we’re a target: “Today’s A 1993 study in San Diego, California teenager is Tobacco production pollutes the environment, contributes found that the highest average number of to deforestation and exploits workers. tobacco displays was in Asian American tomorrow’s potential 1 Public Policy Institute of California. California’s State Budget. regular READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE... Factsheet, January 2005. customer.” 2 ME Muggli, RW Pollay, R Lew, and AM Joseph. Targeting of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by the Tobacco Philip Morris Industry: Results from the Minnesota Tobacco Document internal memo Depository. Tobacco Control, Sep 2002: 11: 201-209. E adult smokers started smoking before age 18. Tobacco company Brown & Williamson developed KOOL MIXX pro- They try to buy credibility by: motions which capitalized on the popularity of hip-hop music and ✱ Producing youth anti-smoking ad campaigns with deliberately inef- culture among youth to sell their KOOL brand menthol cigarettes.* fective messages like “Think, Don’t Smoke,” (Altria) and “Tobacco is 2004 promotions included: Whacko — If You’re a Teen” (Lorillard). ✱ Funding community organizations to promote their brand and buy ✱ DJ mixing competitions with cash prizes in major U.S. cities the silence of anyone who would potentially speak out against them. ✱ Distribution of “special edition” cigarette packs with hip-hop ✱ Philip Morris actually spent more money on ads to publicize their design graphics and free portable radios, and over 1 million charitable work than they did on the charities themselves! CD-ROMS featuring hip-hop music and interactive games ✱ Creation of a “House of Menthol” website that had a flawed “age They pay merchants to advertise their products: verification” system (allowing youth under 18 to enter the site) ✱ Tobacco companies give free promotional materials to store owners (e.g. display stands, open/closed signs, posters). The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network fought ✱ Store owners are sometimes paid allowances to promote tobacco back with the “FightKOOL” campaign, raising public awareness through strategic placement of products (next to the candy) and about KOOL’s youth targeting and demonstrating at KOOL MIXX advertisements (below the counter event sites. Victory came when The New York and Illinois Attorney at a child’s eye level). Generals sued RJ Reynolds (who bought B&W in July 2004) in Oc- tober 2004, resulting in the shutdown of the “House of Menthol” They force their products on website, recall of the special edition cigarette packs, and signifi- other countries: cant restrictions on the types of marketing they can do in the fu- The tobacco industry played a crucial ture. Visit www.naatpn.org for more info! role in the U.S. trade sanctions threatening South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, forcing these * The cooling sensation from the menthol in these cigarettes causes the user to inhale more smoke than they would with regular cigarettes. African American and Asian American youth have the highest rates of menthol cigarette use. countries to open their markets to imported cigarettes (from the U.S.) and allow cigarette advertising. They have even used religion to stores in comparison to Hispanic and African American stores. sell their product! Fortune Tobacco* has distributed HOW ELSE ARE THEY TARGETING US? promotional calendars featuring the Virgin Mary to appeal to Catholics in The tobacco industry uses gimmicks to gain youth customers by: the Philippines. ✱ Selling candy-flavored cigarettes (e.g. Camel’s Dark Mint, Twista Lime The Virgin is a Smoker? and Kauai Kolada). Where do you see evidence of people Fortune Tobacco’s promotional ✱ Sponsoring concert tours and sporting events. in your community being targeted? calendar features the Virgin Mary in ✱ Giving out free items like hats and sport bags with tobacco logos. a pose of prayer over a collection of their cigarette packs. * Fortune tobacco is a licensee of RJ Reynolds (maker of Big Tobacco must be doing something right because over 80 percent of Camel cigarettes) 4 E WHAT’S TOBACCO REALLY ABOUT? WHAT’S TOBACCO REALLY ABOUT? D 5 Some places to look: FACT: ✱ Storefronts In the mid 90’s, RJ ✱ The 2000 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that smoking ✱ Clothing Reynolds developed rates among Asian American youth jumped from 4.4% in 7th ✱ Event sponsorship “Project SCUM: Sub grade to 33.1% in 12th grade (the largest increase of any ethnic ✱ Magazine advertisements Culture Urban Market- group). That means that one out of three of your AAPI friends ✱ Product placement in movies ing,” a plan to increase will be smokers by the time you’re a senior in high school. their market share in ✱ The 2002 National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that 25.4% of TOBACCO IS ABOUT San Francisco by Hawaiian/Pacific Islander girls smoke during middle school— SOCIAL JUSTICE targeting gay and the highest percentage of any ethnic group. Social justice is full and equal partici- homeless communities. ✱ Data from various local studies show that men in Laotian, Cam- pation of all groups in society. It is a bodian, native Hawaiian and Chuukese communities (an ethnic society where access to resources is group in the Pacific Islands) have reported tobacco use rates of equal and the rights of its people are 48%-72%, 39%-71%, 42% and 53% respectively. This is higher treated with respect, fairness and honesty. than the U.S. national average of 24% for males in 2000. But how does tobacco relate to social justice? Let’s break it down: Although smoking has decreased among the general population in the U.S., research shows that is not the case for AAPIs. Many stud- Corporate abuse of power and money ies say that smoking rates are low for AAPIs (13% according to ✱ Tobacco industry executives donate to political parties to influence some researchers). However, these studies show the average for policies that affect the health of citizens around the globe. all AAPI groups together so you don’t see the dramatically high ✱ Tobacco is the only legal product that when used as intended causes rates of certain groups. This makes it appear that tobacco is not a illness and death. problem for AAPIs, resulting in less efforts by anti-tobacco pro- ✱ The tobacco industry spends millions of dollars targeting women, grams to reach our communities. youth, ethnic minorities, the poor and gay communities (e.g. Virginia Slims’ ‘Find Your Voice’ ad campaign that used ethnic models and multi-lingual slogans, Camel’s candy flavored cigarettes, Project SCUM (see inset)). ✱ Tobacco farming pollutes the environment by using toxic pesticides Exploitation of people and the environment and fertilizers. ✱ Tobacco production in other countries exploits workers — child labor, ✱ Massive quantities of wood are burned to produce tobacco, contrib- long hours and low pay are widespread. uting to deforestation. ✱ Tobacco workers (in the U.S. and abroad) are at risk for chronic illness, birth de- Inequality in access to resources fects, even death because of exposure to Tobacco is a social justice issue for AAPI communities because few toxic pesticides.

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