Big Tobacco Guilty of Lying to the Public

In 2006, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that tobacco companies were guilty of breaking civil racketeering laws, marketing to children and minority populations, and lying to the public about the dangers of smoking.

While Big Tobacco fought the ruling for years, the companies are now forced by the ruling’s terms to take action to admit their guilt in national media and on their own cigarette packaging.

The affected companies – Lorillard Inc.; Altria, owner of Phillip Morris USA; and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., owner of Winston-Salem – are required to publish corrective and educational statements about the dangers of tobacco in the Sunday editions of 35 newspapers nationwide and on the newspapers’ websites.

Additionally, the companies are required to air the corrective statements on CBS, ABC or NBC five times per week for a year, post the statements to their websites and affix the statements to a certain number of cigarette packs every February, June and October for two years.

What Big Tobacco MUST ADMIT to the Public:

On Health

Smoking kills, on average, 1,200 Americans. Every day.
More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes, and alcohol, combined.
Smoking causes heart disease, emphysema, acute myeloid leukemia, and cancer of the mouth, esophagus, larynx, lung, stomach, kidney, bladder, and pancreas.
Smoking also causes reduced fertility, low birth weight in newborns, and cancer of the cervix.

Help make our state heathier by showing your support for stronger tobacco policies.

On Addiction

Smoking is highly addictive. Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco.
Cigarette companies intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction.
It’s not easy to quit.
When you smoke, the nicotine actually changes the brain — that’s why quitting is so hard.

If you or a loved one is trying to quit tobacco, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline can help. Get free text and email support, free patches, gum or lozenges and lots more to help all Oklahomans become tobacco free.

On “Light” or “Low Tar” Products

Many smokers switch to low tar and light cigarettes rather than quitting because they think low tar and light cigarettes are less harmful. They are not.
“Low tar” and “light” cigarette smokers inhale essentially the same amount of tar and nicotine as they would from regular cigarettes.
All cigarettes cause cancer, lung disease, heart attacks, and premature death – lights, low tar, ultra lights, and naturals. There is no safe cigarette.

40% of quitters said support was a major factor in their quitting journey. Reach out today by telling a tobacco user in your life about the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline’s free services.

On Product Manipulation

Altria, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard, and Philip Morris USA intentionally designed cigarettes to make them more addictive.
Cigarette companies control the impact and delivery of nicotine in many ways, including designing filters and selecting cigarette paper to maximize the ingestion of nicotine, adding ammonia to make the cigarette taste less harsh, and controlling the physical and chemical make-up of the tobacco· blend.
When you smoke, the nicotine actually changes the brain. That’s why quitting is so hard.

Helping a friend or loved one become tobacco free not only improves their health – it improves the health of everyone around them. Learn how to show your support at OKhelpline.com.

On Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke kills over 38,000 Americans each year.
Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer and coronary heart disease in adults who do not smoke.
Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, severe asthma, and reduced lung function.
There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Help protect your loved ones from secondhand smoke by supporting stronger tobacco policies in Oklahoma. Learn how you can get involved by clicking below.