Summary

            For years, the tobacco industry has tried to buy legitimacy by funding programs for youth smoking prevention, but recently tobacco companies have engaged in a new, more insidious effort to improve their public image.  Instead of funding programs designed and controlled by tobacco interests, the tobacco industry has recently offered to fund respected and effective programs for reducing youth smoking, like the Life Skills Training program (endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control) and the 4-H National Smoking Prevention Program.  Although Kentucky rejected tobacco industry funding for its Life Skills Training program, West Virginia accepted $4.5 million over three years for the school-based program, and the Denver, Colorado school system is currently considering the industry’s offer.  As of July 14, 1999, 20 state 4-H programs have declined tobacco industry funding for this program.  What is behind the tobacco industry’s offer to pay for a program that could reduce the number of young smokers? 

Tobacco companies can use these programs to improve their public image; thus, making them appear to be good corporate citizens while they continue to addict young smokers.  By funding these programs, the tobacco industry can appear concerned about preventing youth smoking without spending a lot of money, or disabling their effective marketing tactics.  A few years ago the industry launched two programs, “We Card” and “Action Against Access,” which were geared towards curbing underage tobacco sales.  Two years after “Action Against Access” had been implemented, Philip Morris had penalized only 16 retailers out of more than 400,000 for selling tobacco products to underage youth.[1]  The industry has opposed virtually all efforts to strengthen these two programs in ways that protect children from tobacco.

            In addition, the tobacco industry’s partnership with state governments opens up the door for other state agencies, community organizations, legislators and corporations to accept resources from these “good corporate citizens.”

            While the tobacco industry can use these programs to deflect charges that it encourages youth smoking, the industry is also sending a message to legislators that tobacco control is already being done.  Programs funded by tobacco companies, such as Life Skills Training and 4-H, could give legislators an excuse to block potential programs that could be implemented with money from the multi-state settlement.  Consider the example of West Virginia.  The $4.5 million pledged by Philip Morris and Brown & Williamson to implement the Life Skills Training program over a three year period is a significant amount of money, but not nearly enough to seriously address the tobacco problem.  The Centers for Disease Control recommends that West Virginia spend between $14.7 and $35.9 million for a comprehensive tobacco control program.[2]  Philip Morris has also approached the Colorado public school system with a $3-4 million proposal for a three-year Life Skills Training program.  Again, this is not nearly enough money for an effective tobacco control program.  State legislatures across the country may be easily distracted from distributing the necessary amount of money for truly effective programs if State Departments of Education and community organizations implement tobacco industry-funded programs.

Tobacco companies can control the program’s agenda by threatening to take funding away.  For example, Philip Morris wants to conduct its own evaluation of their sponsored programs, which will allow tobacco companies direct access to the behavior patterns of thousands of American children and will undoubtedly cloud the legitimate research done on these programs.  Tobacco companies can also attract children by sending mixed messages; such as smoking is an adult-only activity.  There are alternative sources of funding for states or organizations that want youth smoking prevention programs, such as federal and state governments and foundation grants.

What is Life Skills Training? 

 Life Skills Training is a three-year intervention program designed to prevent or reduce gateway drug use, and is primarily implemented in school classrooms by teachers.  The developer of the program is Dr. Gilbert Botvin, who is known internationally as a leading expert on drug abuse prevention for children and young adults.  The program is geared for students beginning in sixth or seventh grade.  Students are taught using three underlying components: (1) general self-management skills; (2) social skills; and (3) drug-use information skills.  Studies conducted on the Life Skills Training program show that the program is proven to be 50 to 75 percent effective in cutting tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use in the short-term.  Over the long term, Life Skills Training reduces pack-a-day smoking by 25 percent.[3]

The program has been selected for prevention excellence by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and the Centers for Disease Control, and has been given the New York State Governor’s Award.  It was also featured as an “outstanding prevention program” in publications of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, the National Institute of Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  By offering funding to state education systems, the tobacco industry is aiming to get its name behind a legitimate and highly recognized program.

What is the 4-H National Youth Smoking Prevention Program?

            The 4-H National Youth Smoking Prevention Program is a multi-year program aimed at 10-14 year olds.  Through a community club educational setting, the program aims to prevent tobacco use in children by helping youth understand the issues and effects of smoking, helping youth and adults work together to develop and implement community strategies to promote youth smoking prevention education and behavior change, and by helping broad-based communities address youth smoking through youth development strategies.[4]

            The National 4-H Council is an independent nonprofit organization that supports local and state 4-H programs.  The state and local 4-H clubs have the option to choose whether or not they want to accept the tobacco industry’s funding for a youth smoking prevention program.  While the program itself is new and untested, the National 4-H Council has a “proven record of developing programs that work with kids and states that it doesn’t accept funding with strings attached.” [5] 

Suggested Actions

1.     According to recently released tobacco industry documents, “If younger adults turn away from smoking, the industry will decline, just as a population which does not give birth will eventually dwindle.”[6]  Although the industry publicly supports youth programs, they recognize the need to attract young smokers to stay in business.  Read through these documents and make the public, advocates and policymakers aware of this before funding is accepted.  You can search the documents through the Center for Disease Control’s website at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/industrydocs/docsites.htm.

2.     Familiarize yourself with the Life Skills Training program by visiting its website at http://www.lifeskillstraining.com or by contacting local health agencies.  It is important to understand that Life Skills Training is a respected program that should not be marred by the tobacco industry’s reputation.

3.     Contact the local media and point out the irony of tobacco-funded youth smoking prevention programs.  Negative publicity will help decision makers justify turning down the tobacco industry’s money.

Resources

·         “4-H Yes!  Philip Morris, No! Fact sheet,” http://www.onyx-group.com/4Hfactsheet.htm. 

·         “Blueprints:  10 Model Programs, Life Skills Training,” Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado at Boulder, http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/model/ten_LifeSkills.htm. 

·         “Draw Communities Together, Stop Youth Smoking,” Press Release by National 4-H Council, March 25, 1999. 

·         “Life Skills Training Homepage,” http://www.lifeskillstraining.com.  

·         Saundra Torry, “Philip Morris’s Smoke Signals Are Questioned,” Washington Post, March 29, 1999, p. A3.  

***Feel free to copy this Alert with attribution***

[1] “A Long History of Empty Promises:  The Tobacco Industry’s Anti-Tobacco Programs,” released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Produced by: Smoking Control Advocacy Resource Center (SCARC) Address: Advocacy Institute 1707 L Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: (202) 659-8475 Fax: (202) 659-8484