The Low Tar Lie
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Tobacco Control 1999;8:433–439 433 Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tc.8.4.433 on 1 December 1999. Downloaded from INDUSTRY WATCH The low tar lie For perhaps the first time in history, the tars and nicotine . .will take the tobacco industry is having its own virulent market.”—1958, Philip Morris.5 smoke blown back in its face. Confronted with “I share MCA’s overall conclusion that the a continual onslaught of litigation, the nation’s switching study confirms the rightness of our tobacco manufacturers are no longer able to five year plan; focusing company eVort against cower behind the shelter of public relations and smokers’ health concerns . .Low T&N brands well nourished political connections. The seem to be satisfying smokers’ intellectual industry’s real history is now being told, but T&N concerns.”—1976, Lorillard.6 not in the sidestepping half truths that have characterised the industry’s signature response to critical inquiry. This time, the story is told . .by assuring smokers that cigarettes among millions of pages of once confidential are safe, and that the industry has the industry documents made public through legal discovery. Rumours have become facts. Telltale public’s best interest in mind is now truth. The tobacco industry is being “There is only one problem—confidence, and forced to eat its own words. how to establish it; public assurance, and how One of the most compelling parts of this new to create it. .And, most important, how to history is the evolution of low tar and low nico- free millions of Americans from the guilty fear tine cigarettes. While the tobacco industry that is going to arise deep in their biological publicly vowed to place the public’s health depths—regardless of any pooh poohing above every other facet of its business, it logic—every time they light a cigarette.”— privately acknowledged its inability to create a 1953, Hill & Knowlton.2 safe product. Supported by quotes pulled “We accept an interest in people’s health as a directly from the industry’s own internal docu- basic responsibility paramount to every other ments, the real history is now manifest. consideration in our business.” “We believe the products we make are not The late 1950s brought growing internal injurious to health.”—1954 industry http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ industry concern and acknowledgement advertisement.7 that smoking causes health problems “ . .if we can eliminate or reduce the carcino- genic agent in smoke we will have made real Secretly, the industry began to explore progress.”— .1 1954, Liggett ways to make a “safer” cigarette, “Boy, wouldn’t it be wonderful if our recognising that there were some company was first to produce a cancer free problems with this approach . cigarette? What we could do to the competition.”—Mid 1950s Hill & Knowlton Lowering nicotine levels could allow smokers to (industry legal counsel) quoting an unnamed wean themselves oV the smoking habit: tobacco company research director.2 “To reduce the nicotine per cigarette as “ . .the evidence is irrefutable that the com- much as possible and thus satisfy the trend of panies were aware by 1954 of the early consumer demand . .might end in destroying on September 27, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. epidemiologic studies and the 1953 Wynder- the nicotine habit in a large number of Graham mouse skin painting study (linking consumers and prevent it ever being acquired cigarettes and lung cancer).”—late 1980s attor- by new smokers.”—1959, BAT Co.8 ney work product by industry legal counsel Jones, Promoting “safer” cigarettes implied that all Day Reavis & Pogue for an industry client (possi- other cigarettes were hazardous: bly B&W).3 “When the health question was first raised we had to start by denying it at the PR level. The industry has long known that this But by continuing that policy we had got our- could eVect profits . selves into a corner and left no room to “From a source of business standpoint, results manoeuvre. In other words, if we did get a from the 1976 study confirm the trend seen breakthrough and were able to improve our since the 1930s away from the brands product we should have to about face, and this perceived as most irritating and least was practically impossible at the PR responsive to the cigarette controversy towards level.”— .9 low T/N [tar/nicotine] brands and menthols.”— 1962 , BAT Co 1976, Lorillard.4 . .although some wondered aloud about the ethics of what they were attempting: . .so it decided to capitalise on smoker’s “The first is concerned with the ethical fears . question: ‘Is it morally permissible to develop a “I know this sounds like a wild program, but safe method for administering a habit forming I’ll bet that the first company to produce a drug when, in so doing, the number of addicts cigarette claiming a substantial reduction in will increase?’”—1978, Liggett.10 434 Industry watch Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tc.8.4.433 on 1 December 1999. Downloaded from Reducing carcinogens in smoke was suYcient understanding of all the chemical discussed in an eVort to create a processes to do so.”—1997, BAT Co.16 “medically acceptable cigarette” “It has been argued for several years that low “ . .which will take 7–10 years because it will tar and ultra low tar cigarettes are not really require a major research eVort, because what they are claimed to be . .the argument carcinogens are found in practically every class can be constructed that ULT advertising is of compounds in smoke.”—1961, Philip misleading to the smoker.”—1990, RJ Morris.11 Reynolds.17 A variety of filtered cigarettes was . .or that the tobacco industry is not developed, and reduced tar and nicotine really concerned about the health of levels were heavily promoted smokers at all “Reduced tar brands have increased to 79% “It has been stated that CTR is a program to share of voice—with ULTs [ultra low tars] now find out about the ‘truth about smoking and accounting for 19% of the total. ULT advertis- health’. ...Let’s face it. We are interested in evi- ing is growing at a faster rate than any other dence which we believe denies the allegations category.”—1980 Lorillard report showing the that cigarette smoking causes disease.”—1970, increase in total industry advertising expenditures Philip Morris.18 for reduced tar categories from 1974-79.12 Unfortunately for the industry, smokers Instead, the industry began exploring did not care much for the taste of ways to increase the nicotine in reduced reduced tar cigarettes and, as expected, tar cigarettes so that smokers stay hooked the lower nicotine levels became a “Review the use of organic acids and nicotine problem as well. Smokers were not salts in tobacco burning cigarettes, and recent receiving the same nicotine “satisfaction” attempts to develop an ultra low ‘tar’ cigarette and therefore began to compensate for with enhanced nicotine yield.”—1990, RJ the reduction in nicotine by smoking Reynolds.19 more cigarettes, thus increasing their “ . .current research is directed toward health risk increasing the nicotine levels while maintaining “If, as claimed by some anti-tobacco critics, or marginally reducing the tar deliveries.”— the alleged health hazard of smoking is directly 1981, Lorillard.20 related to the amount of ‘tar’ to which the It tried diVerent blends of tobacco leaf... smoker is exposed per day, and the smoker “We did decide that we needed a little more bases his consumption on nicotine, then a oomph, a little more pizzazz, if you will, in an present ‘low tar, low nicotine’ cigarette oVers ultra low tar cigarette. So we manipulated the http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ zero advantage to the smoker over a ‘regular’ blend to raise the nicotine level slightly. filter cigarette.”—1972, RJ Reynolds.13 . .They didn’t care what the nicotine level was. “Those familiar with the physiological They just wanted a consumer acceptable prod- aspects of smoking have suggested that low uct that was ultra low tar.”—1998, RJ ‘tar’ consumers are not satisfying their nicotine Reynolds.21 need. In addition, focus group work has shown that when smokers switch from a high ‘tar’ to a low ‘tar’ brand they claim to smoke more. This . .genetically engineered tobacco (“Y1”) may be empirical evidence of a need to satisfy which doubled the amount of nicotine . some physiological urge, perhaps nicotine.”— “ . .increased nicotine content versus 1978, Brown & Williamson.14 traditional tobaccos: Y1 = 6.5%. Conventional flue cured = 3.25−3.5%.—undated, Brown & on September 27, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. Williamson.22 But at least one company never shared this information with smokers . “I’m not aware that RJ Reynolds has ever . .and even added ammonia to increase warned consumers about the health eVects of the “free” nicotine of the smoke and 15 compensation.”—1998, RJ Reynolds. hence, the nicotine “kick” to the smoker. “Philip Morris began using an ammoniated Nor did it reveal that filtering or reducing sheet material in 1965 and increased use of this the tar in cigarettes does very little to sheet periodically from 1965 to 1974. This reduce the hazards of smoking... time period corresponds to the dramatic sales “From an historical perspective, the adoption increase Philip Morris made from 1965 to of filters in the late 1940s and early 1950s was 1974.” probably not animated by a desire to lower “Ammoniated flue cured tobacco . .prod- deliveries. Advertising claims to the contrary uct characteristics: milder smooth taste; higher aside, earlier filtered cigarettes had deliveries smoke pH; cleaner taste with more free equal to or in excess of their unfiltered nicotine; stronger physiological impact with cousins.”—late 1980s attorney work product by less harshness.”—undated (est 1980), RJ Jones,Day,Reavis & Pogue for an industry client.3 Reynolds.23 “We have been taking note of public health “All US manufacturers except Liggett use concerns by developing ‘lighter’ products, but some form of AT [ammonia technology] on we cannot promote these products as ‘safer’ some cigarette products.”—1989, Brown & cigarettes because we simply don’t have Williamson.24 Industry watch 435 Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tc.8.4.433 on 1 December 1999.