Module 4: Unethical Tobacco Advertising

The topic this week to blog on is the ethical nature of tobacco advertising.  The side I chose is “Advertising for tobacco products is unethical”.

When I first looked at this, my immediate reaction was ‘unethical or not, a ban on tobacco advertising violates the 1^st amendment’.  I must clarify my position, I am not a smoker, never have been, and do not condone smoking as a healthy habit.  As I stared reading over the history of tobacco advertising it quickly became apparent that many countries must believe tobacco advertising to be unethical or there would not be a ban on this advertising in so many countries worldwide.  The reason I would call this type of advertising unethical is because tobacco advertising does not tell the truth of the effects, and a product that has no health benefit, and only leads a healthy person to an ultimate disease-ridden state is unethical.  Carlson and Luhrs cite three ethical norms for marketers from the American Marketing Association.

1. Marketers must do no harm.
2. Marketers must foster trust in the marketing system.
3. Marketers must embrace, communicate and practice the fundamental ethical values that will improve consumer confidence in the integrity of the marketing exchange system.

“In other words, one would not consider doing harm to others or acting dishonestly as worthy of a universal law. Tobacco marketers unfortunately fail to achieve the aforementioned standards on all accounts and can therefore be deemed unethical” (Carlson & Luhrs).

It is widely known that cigarettes are bad for your health, but does anyone know what is really in a cigarette?  Quitsmokingsupport.com (2013) states that cigarette company have only provided lists of ingredients to the Department of Health and Human Services but the government officials are not legally allowed to release this list as it is a violation of the tobacco companies rights to protect trade secrets.  They also state the L&M cigarettes are the first tobacco company to list its ingredients on it’s packaging.  Dr. Kleinman & Messina-Kleinman, M.P.H., list on quitsomkingsupport.com, list some of the ingredients in a cigarette:

• Fungicides and pesticides — Cause many types of cancers and birth defects.
• Cadmium — Linked to lung and prostate cancer.
• Benzene — Linked to leukemia.
• Formaldehyde — Linked to lung cancer.
• Nickel — Causes increased susceptibility to lung infections.

They also state “there are more than 4,000 ingredients in a cigarette other than tobacco” (quitsmokingsupport.com).  Some other ingredients are:

Ammonia: Household cleaner
Angelica root extract: Known to cause cancer in animals
Arsenic: Used in rat poisons
Benzene: Used in making dyes, synthetic rubber
Butane: Gas; used in lighter fluid
Carbon monoxide: Poisonous gas
Cadmium: Used in batteries
Cyanide: Deadly poison
DDT: A banned insecticide
Ethyl Furoate: Causes liver damage in animals
Lead: Poisonous in high doses
Formaldehiyde: Used to preserve dead specimens
Methoprene: Insecticide
Megastigmatrienone: Chemical naturally found in grapefruit juice
Maltitol: Sweetener for diabetics
Napthalene: Ingredient in mothballs
Methyl isocyanate: Its accidental release killed 2000 people in Bhopal, India in 1984
Polonium: Cancer-causing radioactive element

Unfortunately cigarette products are under regulation by the FTA and not the FDA, meaning they are not legally responsible to list their ingredient list.  “By labeling cigarettes as an “addictive drug” in 1996, the FDA sought to gain control over the industry and limit the sales and advertising of tobacco products. While its actions were supported by then President Bill Clinton, the Supreme Court ruled against the FDA in 2000, claiming the federal agency was never given the proper authority to regulate tobacco by Congress” (James and Olstad, 2009).  The FDA still seeks to gain full control over tobacco products, which would allow them to regulate ingredients and advertising warnings.

With the disease and cancer causing risks associated with cigarette smoking, advertisers still reach out to children, teens, and adults in any way possible.  Fake cigarettes that release a floury type substance when puffed, and candy cigarettes all appeal to children to spark their interest and curiosity at an early age.  Sporting event advertising such as Nascar’s Winston Cup Series, and Marlborough was formerly a sponsor of Ferrari in the F1 series.  Movies have a tendency to romanticize cigarette smoking and appeal to various age groups.  Cigarette companies are required to list a Surgeon General’s warning for health effects in cigarettes here in the U.S., yet it does not stop their advertising.  Cigarette awareness has come along way over the past decades.  Doctors once used to advertise cigarettes, now doctors are on the push to get patients to stop smoking.

Cigarette smoking can lead to numerous health effects including cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, and even death (CDC, 2012).  The CDC also lists these facts on their website:

• The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States.

• More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.

• Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.

• An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by smoking.

With staggering statics, toxic ingredients, high addiction rates, and ultimate adverse health effects, I have to say advertising a product that does not willingly advertise this information, is unethical.  Tobacco companies do not tell the truth in advertising and each warning label is placed on the product by force, not by choice.

   

       

 

References

Carlson, Michael, and Chris Luhrs. “The Ethics of Tobacco Marketing.” Confronting Information Ethics in the New Millennium:    72.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 2012.  Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/

James, R. & Olstad, S. 2009. Cigarette Advertising. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1905530,00.html

QuitSmokingSupport.com. 2013. Have you ever wondered what’s in a cigarette? Retrieved from http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm