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22/09/2003
TV ads warn of health risks from 'light' cigarettes
A series of advertisements, designed to expose how smokers may have been misled by suggestions that so-called 'low-tar' or 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes are less dangerous than regular cigarettes, are set to hit television screens tomorrow.
The series of adverts are the first in a three-year anti-tobacco campaign run by Cancer Research UK and funded by the Department of Health. The funding comes from a £15 million war chest ear-marked by the government to involve major charities in telling the public about the dangers of tobacco.
One of the aims of the campaign – titled 'Death Repackaged' – is to highlight how brand and marketing strategies may have misled smokers about the perceived health benefits of smoking 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes.
These terms will be outlawed under the European Union's Directive On Tobacco Product Regulation which comes into force on September 30.
The ad campaign seeks to inform smokers that all cigarettes are deadly, whatever it says on the packaging. The terms 'light' and 'mild' do not mean that a cigarette is less deadly to the smoker than a regular cigarette.
Despite the forthcoming ban on these terms, smokers will continue to face confusing brand messages from the tobacco industry. The 'low-tar' terms such as 'light', 'mild', or 'ultra light' have disappeared from packs, but the brands remain through subtle design changes or new names like 'silver', 'white', 'fine' or 'smooth'.
The hard-hitting 'Death Repackaged' campaign will be spread across TV, radio, newspapers and billboards. Its central theme is that if something is dangerous, giving it a friendlier name or image does not make it less deadly.
Launching the campaign, Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said: "The effects of smoking are devastating. Not only does it cause 120,000 deaths annually, the economic costs to the NHS are estimated at £1.7 billion every year.
"By giving funding to charities who deal with the consequences of smoking, we can help raise awareness of the dangers. I am happy to welcome the new Cancer Research UK campaign as the first example of this initiative."
Professor Gerard Hastings, Director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Tobacco Control Research at the University of Strathclyde, said: "The tobacco industry allows the belief that some cigarettes are 'milder' than others to persist."
"This provides smokers with a 'fall back' position with their addiction - naturally a smoker feels they are moving in the right direction by choosing a 'low-tar' brand and often this is done instead of quitting. The longer a smoker's addiction continues, the longer they'll be contributing to the tobacco industry's profits."
(gmcg)
The series of adverts are the first in a three-year anti-tobacco campaign run by Cancer Research UK and funded by the Department of Health. The funding comes from a £15 million war chest ear-marked by the government to involve major charities in telling the public about the dangers of tobacco.
One of the aims of the campaign – titled 'Death Repackaged' – is to highlight how brand and marketing strategies may have misled smokers about the perceived health benefits of smoking 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes.
These terms will be outlawed under the European Union's Directive On Tobacco Product Regulation which comes into force on September 30.
The ad campaign seeks to inform smokers that all cigarettes are deadly, whatever it says on the packaging. The terms 'light' and 'mild' do not mean that a cigarette is less deadly to the smoker than a regular cigarette.
Despite the forthcoming ban on these terms, smokers will continue to face confusing brand messages from the tobacco industry. The 'low-tar' terms such as 'light', 'mild', or 'ultra light' have disappeared from packs, but the brands remain through subtle design changes or new names like 'silver', 'white', 'fine' or 'smooth'.
The hard-hitting 'Death Repackaged' campaign will be spread across TV, radio, newspapers and billboards. Its central theme is that if something is dangerous, giving it a friendlier name or image does not make it less deadly.
Launching the campaign, Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said: "The effects of smoking are devastating. Not only does it cause 120,000 deaths annually, the economic costs to the NHS are estimated at £1.7 billion every year.
"By giving funding to charities who deal with the consequences of smoking, we can help raise awareness of the dangers. I am happy to welcome the new Cancer Research UK campaign as the first example of this initiative."
Professor Gerard Hastings, Director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Tobacco Control Research at the University of Strathclyde, said: "The tobacco industry allows the belief that some cigarettes are 'milder' than others to persist."
"This provides smokers with a 'fall back' position with their addiction - naturally a smoker feels they are moving in the right direction by choosing a 'low-tar' brand and often this is done instead of quitting. The longer a smoker's addiction continues, the longer they'll be contributing to the tobacco industry's profits."
(gmcg)
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