This comes after a ruling more than 11 years ago that found tobacco companies deceived the public.
Approximately 40 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, and almost half a million Americans die early due to smoking or secondhand smoke
A person smokes a cigarette.
Approximately 40 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, and almost half a million Americans die early due to smoking or secondhand smoke. (Getty Images)
It's more than an open secret that smoking cigarettes can kill you – but television audiences started seeing a fresh reminder of this fact and more this past weekend due to a court-ordered ad campaign from Big Tobacco itself.
That's right: Cigarette makers now have to own up to the truth behind each puff, reports the Associated Press.
This comes after a ruling more than 11 years ago, when a judge found that tobacco companies deceived the public regarding cigarette risks. President Bill Clinton's Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars from these companies, considering how much money the government put into caring for people with smoking-related diseases. The eventual outcome of the lawsuit was these "corrective statements" in lieu of a payout.
The ads feature statements like "More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes and alcohol, combined." The ads are tamer than they would have been due to industry legal wrangling, the Associated Press notes, and are set for network TV and newspapers.
Altria Group, owner of Philip Morris USA, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., are backing the
A person smokes a cigarette.
Approximately 40 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, and almost half a million Americans die early due to smoking or secondhand smoke. (Getty Images)
It's more than an open secret that smoking cigarettes can kill you – but television audiences started seeing a fresh reminder of this fact and more this past weekend due to a court-ordered ad campaign from Big Tobacco itself.
That's right: Cigarette makers now have to own up to the truth behind each puff, reports the Associated Press.
This comes after a ruling more than 11 years ago, when a judge found that tobacco companies deceived the public regarding cigarette risks. President Bill Clinton's Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars from these companies, considering how much money the government put into caring for people with smoking-related diseases. The eventual outcome of the lawsuit was these "corrective statements" in lieu of a payout.
The ads feature statements like "More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes and alcohol, combined." The ads are tamer than they would have been due to industry legal wrangling, the Associated Press notes, and are set for network TV and newspapers.
Altria Group, owner of Philip Morris USA, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., are backing the ads.
"We remain committed to aligning our business practices with society's expectations of a responsible company," Altria said in a statement. "This includes communicating openly about the health effects of our products."
A key facet of the campaign is the companies' admission of wrongdoing. One of the statements in the ads says, "Cigarette companies intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction."
Still, the ads apparently aren't that captivating. "It's black type scrolling on a white screen with the most uninteresting voice in the background," Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, told the Associated Press. Truth Initiative is a nonprofit public health firm aiming to make tobacco use obsolete.
Approximately 40 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, and almost half a million Americans die early due to smoking or secondhand smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reviewed by Unknown
on
December 05, 2017
Rating:
No comments: