Tobacco

Philip Morris/Tobacco-Free Kids FDA Bill Resurfaces

by Anne Landman — March 5, 2009 - 4:30pm

A bill has reappeared and is moving rapidly through Congress that would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, March 4, 2009

Before Blackwater Had Xe, PM Had NewCo

by Anne Landman — February 27, 2009 - 5:14pm
  • Topics: Crisis Management, Public Relations, Tobacco

    • After years of bad press over no-bid contracts and massacres of Iraqi civilians, the private military contractor Blackwater Worldwide has changed its name to the cryptic "Xe" (pronounced "Zee"). In an eerily similar move, disgraced sub-prime mortgage lender Countrywide announced that its new name is the smooth-sounding "Bank of America Home Loans." Rounding out the triumvirate of chameleons, Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison, made infamous worldwide for the torture and abuses perpetrated inside its walls by both Saddam Hussein and the U.S. government, is changing its name to "Baghdad Central Prison."

    Kids Who Watch R-Rated Movies More Likely to Smoke

    by Anne Landman — February 24, 2009 - 2:21pm

    A four-year study of more than 1,200 youngsters performed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that children whose parents let them watch R-rated movies are more likely to smoke. Participants were in sixth grade when they started the study, and researchers interviewed them a total of eleven times over the course of the study. They were asked questions about the availability of cigarettes in their home, whether smoking was allowed in their home and whether their parents let them watch R-rated movies and videos.

    Main Source: 
    U.S. News and World Report, February 23, 2009

    Tobaco Company Offers Perks to British Parliamentary Aides

    by Anne Landman — February 23, 2009 - 1:18pm

    Nick Harris, the corporate affairs manager of Gallaher Group, the world's third largest tobacco company and the British subsidiary of

    Main Source: 
    The Guardian (UK), February 23, 2009

    The Legacy of Mr. Horace Kornegay

    by Anne Landman — January 26, 2009 - 3:33pm
  • Topics: Corporate Campaigns, Health, Tobacco

    • Several newspapers reported in late January on the death of Horace R. Kornegay, Jr., who served as the Executive Director of the Tobacco Institute from 1969 to 1986. Mr. Kornegay's passing was little noticed, but he was one of the more notable opponents of public health measures in American history.

    Thin Veil of "Patriotism" May Extinguish Chinese Cigarette Billboards

    by Anne Landman — January 23, 2009 - 2:11pm

    Patriotic billboards around Shanghai, China carry the Chinese expression for "Love our China." The message, however, uses a variation for the word China, "Chungwa," which happens to be identical to the name of a

    Main Source: 
    Shanghai Daily, January 19, 2009

    Thank You for Using Our [Fill in Name of Dangerous Product Here]

    by Anne Landman — January 21, 2009 - 1:09pm

    The Australian alcohol industry is taking a leaf from the tobacco industry and has promised to voluntarily devote ten percent of its advertising space to promoting web sites that discourage binge drinking, particularly among youth.

    Main Source: 
    The Sydney Morning Herald, January 21, 2009

    An Environmentally-Conscious, "Greener" Cigarette?

    by Anne Landman — January 16, 2009 - 5:33pm

    The Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, maker of the niche brand "American Spirit" cigarettes, is trying to lure environmentally conscious smokers with certified organic, pesticide-free tobacco.

    Main Source: 
    Plenty Magazine, January 14, 2009

    How Big Tobacco Deals with Adverse Research -- and Researchers

    by Anne Landman — January 13, 2009 - 2:38pm

    A case study in the January issue of the American Journal of Public Health shows the extent to which the tobacco industry works to derail research -- and researchers -- that could adversely affect it.

    Main Source: 
    American Journal of Public Health (sub req'd), January 2009
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