How have tobacco companies reacted to the attack on their product?
About half of the U.S. cigarette market has been controlled by Phillip Morris; the remainder is divided among just four other companies. Following the Surgeon General’s report, these companies have engaged in a variety of tactics. Initially in advertisements which are now being used against them in litigation, the companies initially insisted that there was no proven link between smoking and cancer and the issue was one of an “open controversy”. Although banned from television advertising, the companies substantially increased their investment in product promotion. Even when the figure is adjusted for inflation, tobacco companies now spend over five times more on promotion today than they did in 1970. It is widely believed that the “Joe Camel” advertising campaign initiated by R. J. Reynolds in 1988 led to a significant rise in adolescent smoking. Tobacco companies also began to spend heavily on political contributions and lobbying. In California, a recent study has shown a significant
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