Lessons learned from an unregulated tobacco marketplace

Public health officials have fought valiantly to reduce the number of tobacco users. The greatest progress has occurred when an adequate evidence base existed to drive policy interventions aimed at reducing tobacco use such as clean indoor air laws and excise tax hikes. History is also replete with examples where the absence of evidence had adverse public health effects. Perhaps the best known is the assumption experts made that “light” cigarettes actually reduced exposure to tar and nicotine in cigarettes. Well-intentioned officials did not know the truth behind “lights.” It took the National Cancer Institute thirty years to finally issue a report exposing the fraud of “lights” and concluding that “lights” had no positive public health impact. There are important lessons to be learned from episodes such as “lights” as we are poised on the threshold of a new era of tobacco product regulation. There are other lessons to be learned from examining the behavior of the tobacco industry over the past eighty years. This presentation will provide a historical overview of how tobacco products have been marketed to respond to health concerns. A particular focus will be placed on the role of product modification as a means to purportedly address health concerns. Current industry marketing tactics will be reviewed. Regulatory policy priorities will be described.