Anti-Tobacco Coalition Steps Up Ad Campaign Criticizing Philip Morris – Where Is Spanish Print?

The American Legacy Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids will extend its ad campaign this week that criticizes Philip Morris for telling the government of the Czech Republic that smoking-related deaths have a “positive” impact on the nation’s budget.

The ad will appear in 21 major newspapers across the nation (see list at bottom) on Thursday, August 2. It will also appear as a two-page spread in the August 6 edition of Newsweek magazine. The ad first appeared on Thursday, July 26, in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. It was prepared by Legacy’s advertising agency, Arnold Worldwide of Boston.

The ad shows a cadaver in a morgue with a toe tag on its left foot. The copy on the tag reads: “$1,227. That’s how much a study sponsored by Philip Morris said the Czech Republic saves on health care, pensions, and housing every time a smoker dies.”

Philip Morris commissioned the report after concerns were raised in the Czech Republic about the high costs of providing health care to its citizens suffering from smoking-related diseases.

The report cited the “early mortality” caused by cigarette smoking and adds up how much premature death saves the Czech government in eldercare costs. The report concludes that, “Public finance saved between 943 million CZK and 1.193 million CZK (about $23-$30 million) from reduced health care costs, savings on pensions and housing costs for the elderly — all related to the early mortality of smokers.”

Philip Morris has apologized for the report. But until the report was in the news and the company realized it had a serious public relations problem on its hands, Philip Morris took no steps to retract the report and in fact had plans for similar studies in at least four other countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.)

Cheryl Healton, Dr.P.H., President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Legacy Foundation, said: “We seriously question Philip Morris’s apology. It isn’t sorry that it ordered the report — it’s sorry it got caught. Philip Morris knows its products addict and shorten lives. No apology can change the fact that the company continues to look for new customers and new markets for its deadly products.”

John R. Seffrin, Ph. D., Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society, said: “Philip Morris’s motto these days is ‘working to make a difference’ in people’s lives, but this ad sets the record straight. It informs people that Philip Morris continues to manipulate public perception with little regard to human life.”

Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said: “Philip Morris’s study shows that it is still prepared to trade lives for profit. This study is a warning to policymakers that Philip Morris has not changed and cannot be trusted when it says it wants to play a constructive role in tobacco policy.”

Newspapers

The ad will appear in the Aug. 2 edition of the following newspapers:

Boston Globe

Boston Herald

Seattle Times

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)

Indianapolis Star

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Chicago Tribune

Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Daily News

San Francisco Chronicle

Dallas Morning News

Washington Post

Detroit Free Press

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Augusta (Me.) Kennebec Journal

Portland (Me.) Press Herald

Denver Post

Rocky Mountain News

Roll Call (Wash., D. C.)

The Hill (Wash, D. C., Aug. 1)

Congress Daily

Washington Daily

Magazines

Newsweek, Aug. 6 edition, two-page spread

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