e cigs, advocacy, and prevention

While I appreciate the serious discussion of e-cigarettes, on a global scale it is probably fairly academic. Those most likely to become addicted to nicotine, the poor and undereducated, are unlikely to find nicotine vapor or low emission devices a real option. (if you don't like butts imagine the environmental impact of these latest delivery devices!) Individuals should decide whether they are public health advocates or tobacco prevention advocates working in the realm of public health. The relative harm from spit, low emission, or e-cigarette effluent is rather immaterial if either is not proven to reduce the prevalence of nicotine addiction.

Tobacco free spaces are not ends in themselves but tools for challenging those culpable and profiting from the leading cause of death and disease on the planet.

Recall that harm reduction involving tobacco companies originated with the mirage of the filter tip and the low tar cigarette. Arbitrarily deciding that a certain level of risk is acceptable only serves to collaborate with an industry that could care less.

Bookstore Sells Toy Cigarettes

Handsel Art

22 October 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

contact J.R. Few

handselart@marioncounty.com

or 870-427-1365

Advocates Object to Toy Cigarettes

The tobacco industry spends $12.8 billion marketing annually in the U.S. but sometimes the least expensive marketing opportunities come from unlikely sources. Hollie Pierce, Coordinator for Tobacco Free Boone County in north central Arkansas, never imagined that her local book store would be glamorizing tobacco with toy cigarettes (pictured). But that is exactly what she found in the novelty pen section at the Books A Million store in Branson, MO recently.

“Marketing novelty cigarette pens just feet from the children’s book section sends a truly irresponsible message. The greatest part of our public health challenge is to de-normalize tobacco use,” says Pierce. 90% of the over 440,000 Americans who die from tobacco use started as children.

Knowing that children want to emulate adult behavior and making tobacco less appealing to youth are major steps in preventing addiction to nicotine.

Pierce is encouraging her colleagues in tobacco prevention and anyone to express their dismay for such thoughtless marketing by contacting Books A Million at feedback@booksamillion.com. She notes that retailers often just never realize the potential harm but, “What we may think of as a simple ink pen, may actually encourage youth and adults to smoke.”

Books A Million is the country’s third largest book retailer and operates over 200 stores in the Midwest and Southeast.

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public health v tobacco prevention

public health v tobacco prevention

There seems to be a certain difficulty for advocates dealing with tobacco to get from the evidence of harm in the public health and the effective reduction of this harm within the realm of social norm change. Many of those involved in tobacco control are actually working within the health care community. This is to be expected. The relationship between tobacco and disease is what prompts our interest.

The traditional dichotomy is a matter of treating the addiction to nicotine and the matter of preventing the onset of addiction. Both motivated by the prevalence of tobacco related disease. But the difficulties are not merely between these perspectives but also in the reluctance of advocates from all perspectives to recognize the culpability of those that profit from tobacco.

choice

The tobacco industry claims that tobacco marketing is a matter of enticing adult smokers to particular brands. The concept of addiction is underplayed regardless of the evidence of the tremendous power of nicotine to addict. While brand promotion is most certainly an aspect of their focus further deconstruction reveals a distinct diversion of the blame for tobacco related disease to the user. 9 of 10 tobacco users are addicted before the age of consent. Locally and globally the poor and uneducated are more likely to become addicted to nicotine.

Are tobacco users without autonomy? Of course not, but that autonomy is most certainly colored by nicotine and the tremendous and sophisticated marketing budget tobacco companies expend.

Somewhere in the mix of ostensible tobacco free advocacy is a confusion about the cause of tobacco related disease. Tobacco hasn’t been a benign weed for nearly 400 years. The historical weed is rather incidental to those that profit from contemporary nicotine addiction.

Until tobacco control advocates recognize that the harm from tobacco is profit driven, and of a magnitude without precedent, we miss the opportunity for real prevention.

Handsel Art

7 October 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

contact J.R. Few

handselart@marioncounty.com

or 870-427-1365

Local Advocate Speaks in Wales

Tobacco prevention in Marion County, Arkansas acquired international note last week with local activist, J.R. Few’s presentation at the second annual ASH Wales’ Communicate, Collaborate, Celebrate Conference in Cardiff, Wales October 5 & 6. Speaking during the “Engaging Smokers” workshop, Few shared insight and successes from work as volunteer media coordinator for Tobacco Free Marion County between 2002 until 2009.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be invited to this event. The challenges to the tobacco industry are truly global. We get caught up in our own local mediocrity and often forget that the world at large is where the tobacco industry profits most.”

Few is creative director for his family’s business, Handsel Art and Advertising. Handsel Art has offered to the public quality art, advertising, public relations, and photography since 1971 and currently works to challenge a predatory rogue industry with tobacco prevention activists in Arkansas and around the globe.

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The primary sponsors for the event were Pfizer and McNeil and because of this the conference is subject to the same critique the World Conference on Smoking or Health in Mumbai received. The fashion in which we engage the tobacco pandemic should be evidence based. But the slippery aspect of saying something like that is that the paradigm from which one begins shapes the questions and evidence one seeks. It is a very good question to ask if having these corporate sponsors determines the flavor of a conference. And these particular sponsors are involved quite directly with profit from using their products to treat nicotine addiction, not control and prevent the prevalence and spread of nicotine.

That said, the gathering was certainly a cessation based perspective but with a serious effort at broadening the scope. I got the impression that tobacco prevention advocates were beginning to feel the frustrations that they may have maxed out the utility of a certain direction of effort.

The challenge to tobacco in the UK has been a decade of the National Health Service focusing on cessation. This of course couldn't make the industry any happier because they are more aware than anyone how difficult, even impossible, overcoming nicotine addiction can be. However, this seems to be on the cusp of change. It made my presentation about adhering to best practices and strict media tie in very appropriate. They are only now getting the knack of their foe being the industry itself. John Tilley, speaking for NHS, noted that a new national tobacco policy was imminent. The last session we attended outlined the 2008 report of the Tobacco Control National Support Team suggesting an evidence based approach much like the CDC Best Practices for engaging the industry. Wales itself is seeking a unified national tobacco policy. This conference, only the second for ASH Wales I believe, is part of that effort. In many ways Arkansas is far ahead of the game, especially for Wales. And even the UK too.

My gig actually went over pretty well. I'm large and loud and had lots of colorful slides. Additionally my "Kill 'em all, let god sort it out" approach to the tobacco industry was fairly novel for much of the audience. And the numbers I was able to bring from our efforts in Marion County were a pretty straight forward approach to successful tobacco control. But we know from experience in Arkansas that doesn't mean anybody is listening. Additionally, the English have the same difficulties w ignorant politicians pandering to the lowest common denominator and eating out of the hands of the industry whether they know it or not.

It truly was an enlightening honor and privilege to attend the ASH Wales Conference and speak to so many dedicated advocates. I believe we made some friends with whom collaboration and communication will have a positive challenge to the tobacco industry. Might be a little early to celebrate.