Tobacco industry deceives Montanans

Once again, the tobacco industry is trying to deceive Montanans. But thanks to the state Legislature, which appropriated $9 million to fund statewide tobacco prevention, Montanans have a fighting chance against the addiction that takes the lives of 1,500 state residents each year.

The tobacco industry is offering up spit tobacco as a "safe alternative" to smoking. Two facts illustrate why tobacco products, whether they are smoked or chewed, are anything but safe. First, the tobacco industry is in the business of selling addiction. And second, to stay profitable, this industry needs people to ignore evidence about the harm caused by its products. When used as directed, tobacco is highly addictive, causes disease, and ultimately kills people. Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in Montana and nationwide.

The tobacco industry knows smokers are concerned about the adverse health effects of smoking, and the public is increasingly intolerant of secondhand smoke. So now "Big Tobacco" is pushing alternative products, implying they are better. For example, tobacco companies are promoting spit tobacco, claiming that it will reduce the health impacts of smoking. That's like saying it's better to jump from a 60-story building than an 80-story building. Switching to spit tobacco simply assures continued tobacco addiction for smokers. Why would Montanans want to substitute one form of premature death for another?

This insidious marketing is no different from the industry's deceptive practices of the past, practices found to be in violation of U.S. racketeering laws. An August 2006 U.S. District Court ruling declared that cigarette companies knowingly misled consumers with claims that low-tar and "natural" cigarettes were less harmful than other cigarettes. These so-called "harm-reducing" cigarettes marketed between 1998 and 2004 delivered more nicotine than their predecessors, upping the delivery of smoking's addiction factor in each cigarette by an average of 10 percent. Montanans should be very skeptical about the tobacco industry's newest claims about spit tobacco.

No matter how reprehensible these new unsupported claims are, the industry's effort to recruit Montana's children to an addicted future is even worse. Tobacco companies are marketing candy-flavored spit tobacco and wrapping cigarettes in pretty colored packages. How can anyone expect kids not to be lured by cherry-flavored chew that doesn't look much different than beef jerky? And what about our teenage girls who will be attracted to cigarettes in packages that match their purses and lipstick?

This youth-oriented tobacco marketing is designed to addict a new generation of Montanans. The strategy to recruit new users is important to the industry, in large part because of the shortened life expectancy that current users face. When people die from diseases caused by tobacco addiction, the industry needs new customers. The tobacco industry wants those new customers to be your children and mine.

What should Montanans do? The best public health policy is primary prevention. Eliminating exposure to commercial tobacco products prevents disease. Montanans who currently use tobacco should stop. If you are a smoker or use spit tobacco, talk with your physician and call the Montana Tobacco Quit Line at 1-866-485-7848. Quit Line services are free and include counseling and nicotine replacement therapy. People who use the Quit Line are seven times more likely to be successful at quitting than those who try to do it alone.

Dr. Helgerson is the state medical officer with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services in Helena.