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Research papers: P A McDaniel and R E Malone Understanding Philip Morris’s pursuit of US government regulation of tobacco Tob Control 2005; 14: 193-200 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Time for society to redefine "reasonable"

John R. Polito   (4 June 2005)

Time for society to redefine "reasonable" 4 June 2005
John R. Polito, Nicotine Cessation Educator Editor WhyQuit.com Send letter to journal: Re: Time for society to redefine "reasonable" john{at}whyquit.com John R. Polito	An excellent PM documents review! Thanks! Allowing the tobacco industry to define "reasonable regulation," an industry whose economic survival will always depend upon finding new and creative ways to entice children and teens into permanent chemical enslavement, is like allowing Hitler to write health standards for dead camps. While awaiting fine-tuning of FDA regulatory bills, it's time for the U.S. Congress to expressly allow cities and states to take immediate steps to insulate youth from all corporate image, newspaper, magazine, sponsorship, and point of sale tobacco industry marketing. Two decades of selective binding technology could immediately allow entire zip codes to be free of all magazine and newspaper tobacco ads, if local governments were only granted authority to protect their youth. Modern dependency science has taught us that history is a ridiculous excuse for demanding that high grade ethanol products be sold in stand alone liquor stores, while high grade nicotine delivery devices are marketed inside a child's neighborhood candy, chip and soda store. With almost a half a million annual U.S. deaths, it's beyond time that point of sale marketing was no long visible from sidewalks or school buses. It's beyond time to grant local government express authority to exclude youth from all tobacco sales locations. Inside adult only sales locations, allow the industry to advertise and market to its heart's content. But no pictures in ads or displays, other than the product, and grant local government authority to demand premises dependency warning signs. John R. Polito