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Washington 1997/08/25 -If Winston's new cigarettes really are safer, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company needs to prove this, say the nation's three leading voluntary health organizations. On August 22, the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to investigate the implied health claims made by Reynolds. The company has launched a campaign touting the new Winston cigarettes as "No Additives, No Bull."
"We demand evidence to substantiate the claim that these cigarettes are safer than other cigarettes," says John Garrison, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association. "Smokers will grab for anything they think might be less harmful, and Reynolds has an obligation to its customers to prove these new Winstons are any less dangerous than other cigarettes."
The three health organizations have requested that the FTC initiate an investigation using its authority to take action against deceptive ads and practices. The petition notes that terms such as "no additives" or "additive free" are commonly used in advertising to suggest or state that the associated products are healthy alternatives to those containing additives.
"This ad campaign implies not only that a Winston cigarette is healthier, but that consumers will face reduced risks when smoking no additive Winston cigarettes. We'd like to know how Reynolds can say this so boldly," states John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society.
Reynolds has recently launched a massive national advertising campaign to reposition Winston. Ads have appeared in such widely circulated publications as People, Glamour, and Inside Sports magazines. Billboards, bus shelters, and other outdoor advertising proclaim Winston as the new cigarette with "nothing but tobacco."
As the federal agency charged with enforcing consumer protection law, particularly truth in advertising, the FTC could very quickly require RJR to substantiate its implied health claim. Documents from RJR might reveal which additives were removed from Winston and which remain in RJR's other brands.
"Removing the additives from cigarettes does not remove the nicotine, the tars, or any of the other constituents of tobacco" notes Dudley Hafner, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. "Burning tobacco and ingesting it into the lungs is responsible for the deaths of more than 400,000 Americans each year. With or without additives, Winstons can hurt you."
Previously the three health organizations filed petitions with the Food and Drug Administration which eventually resulted in that agency asserting jurisdiction over cigarettes as nicotine delivery devices.
The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association are the nation's leading voluntary health agencies, representing more than 6 million volunteers.
Joann Schellenbach
National Director Media Relations
American Cancer Society
212-382-2169
jschelle@cancer.org
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