Local health officials were right to question Riverbend officials Thursday about possible violations of federal regulations that govern the marketing of tobacco products to children. The agencies they represent, after all, are charged with protecting the health of area residents of all ages, and tobacco products are one of the leading causes of death in the nation. It never hurts to seek the truth when the health and well-being of people is at risk.
Riverbend officials, in turn, probably were correct when they responded to the queries by saying that the tobacco vendors at the festival that are offering free samples to patrons of legal age “are absolutely in compliance” with applicable laws. The challenge-and-response cycle here is simply another skirmish in what seems to be a never-ending war between those who sell tobacco products and those who are determined to slow or stop such sales in the name of public health.
The challenge issued by health officials here is part of a broad, multifaceted national effort to curb the marketing of tobacco products to the young. There’s a reason that endeavor continues unabated and that tobacco companies fight it at every turn. Tobacco users are a self-limiting market. Tens of thousands of users sicken monthly and well over 400,000 die annually from using various forms of tobacco products Experts report that use of tobacco products now accounts for 20 percent of deaths in the United States every year.
Perfect target audience
If tobacco purveyors want to remain profitable, then, they’ve got to keep current tobacco users smoking and using other products. More importantly, they’ve got to create new customers to take the place of those who sicken and die. Impressionable youth are the perfect target audience for tobacco marketers, though strict laws passed in the last couple of decades have limited the more egregious campaigns to attract kids to tobacco products.
Even so, tobacco companies have proved successful in tip-toeing around the law to exploit the youth market. A spokesman for the American Cancer Society reports that about 1,000 youngsters become addicted to tobacco every day. Another 4,000 try their first cigarette every day.
Those facts probably were foremost in the minds of the local health care groups when they questioned Riverbend officials about the availability of tobacco samples at the festival. Camel, USA Gold and Longhorn vendors offer tobacco products. Their activity, it appears, meets current legal standards.
Camel and USA Gold operate from fully enclosed tents. Longhorn’s base is an enclosed trailer. All three verify age — 18 and over — through IDs before allowing entry into their area, and each cards individuals again before providing a free sample. That meets the letter of law. It does not address the morality of providing samples of products proven to be linked to illness and death.
What understandably concerns local health officials in this instance is that the tobacco vendors are located near the festival’s Children’s Village play area. They worried that youngsters might incorrectly assume that tobacco products are somehow acceptable since their presence obviously is sanctioned by the festival. That’s a legitimate concern, though addressing it does not fall into the legal realm.
The health advocates’ request that Riverbend officials make the festival a smoke-free event would satisfactorily resolve the problem, but there is no indication at present that will occur. Tobacco companies, like all other vendors, pay a fee to operate on the festival grounds. Riverbend officials are unlikely to forego what is probably a lucrative source of revenue as long as the tobacco vendors comply with current legal requirements.
The tug-of-war here and elsewhere between those who want to restrict the availability of tobacco products and those determined to sell them will continue to play out beyond the confines of Riverbend. The rules that govern tobacco sales and marketing, though, are changing. Indeed, several new laws become effective Tuesday,
The new regulations include a ban on terms such as “light,” “low” and “mild” in the advertising, marketing and packaging of tobacco and smokeless tobacco products. Health officials argued for the change because they rightfully fear such terms suggest that products labeled that way are somehow less dangerous than regular ones. Research has proved that is not the case.
In addition, advertising and packaging for smokeless tobacco products will carry new and larger health warning labels. Similar requirements for cigarettes take effect in 18 months
New guidelines
New laws also restrict the type of events tobacco companies can sponsor and establish new guidelines to govern marketing efforts — logo clothing and sample packs, for example — aimed at the youth market. The legislation also bans selling cigarettes in vending machines except in areas restricted to adults.
Predictably, the new rules do not sit well with the tobacco companies. They fought them tooth and nail during the legislative process. They’ll continue to do so, no doubt, though the effort will be far less visible and far more subtle. The new statutes won’t end the on-going battle between regulators who want to promote a healthy lifestyle and the tobacco companies. They likely will alter the game. The immediate outcome is uncertain, but there is one thing that won’t change.
Tobacco companies will continue to seek ways to market and sell their product, despite challenges posed by new laws or by advocacy groups that rightly question the presence of tobacco vendors at sites where impressionable youngsters congregate.