Public Health Magazine: Spring 1996, Vol.4, No.1
Smoke Alarm!-- Keeping Kids from Getting Hooked
Burning Issues

These days, it is difficult for almost any publication to keep up with the myriad events unfolding in the national debate over smoking. An avalanche of lawsuits, studies, legislation, charges and countercharges seem to make the headlines on a daily basis. Below are just some of the developments of the past few months:

February 15:

A study in the American Journal of Public Health reports that white female teen-agers who smoke can be expected to continue smoking for 20 years. For white males, the figure is 16 years. In addition, the journal reports that a study of teenagers who said they have high levels of depression and anxiety were twice as likely to be smokers. A link between smoking and depression in adults had been found in earlier investigations.

February 20:

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulation goes into effect, directing states to adopt and enforce laws prohibiting the sale or distribution of tobacco products to children. The edict provides guidance to states on complying with the 1992 Synar Amendment to the Public Health Service Act, which prohibits sales of cigarettes to minors.

March 12:

Shareholders of Philip Morris Company propose that the company spinoff its tobacco operations. Also suggested is a gradual reduction in the nicotine content of the company's cigarettes until the potential for addiction is eliminated, and an end to perceived efforts by the company to challenge studies on the effects of secondhand smoke. The proposals, filed as a proxy statement, were due for consideration at the company's annual stockholders meeting, April 25.

March 13:

Liggett & Myers, smallest of the nation's five major tobacco companies, settles with smoker plaintiffs in the largest class-action lawsuit against the tobacco industry. Liggett agreed to withdraw its opposition to the Food and Drug Administration's proposal to impose wide-ranging new restrictions on how tobacco is sold and marketed. The settlement marks the first time a cigarette maker agreed to pay money to settle a smoking case.

March 18:

A former Philip Morris Company scientist charges that Philip Morris was aware of nicotine's physiological effect on the brain and controlled nicotine levels in its cigarettes to assure their continued use. The company denies that nicotine is "addictive" in the classic sense of the word.

April 18:

Nicorette chewing gum becomes the first FDA-approved smoking cessation device to be sold over-the-counter. For about $50, smokers get a two-week supply, plus audio tape and stop smoking tips. In partnership with the American Lung Association, Nicorette manufacturer SmithKline Beecham sponsored a toll-free "Counselors on Call" smoking cessation program, as well as community seminars, in-store counseling, and other promotions.

-CZ