Fumoaphobia Syndrome
   
 

Lorillard CONFIDENTIAL Memo: Social Costs [handwritten notes "New file: Social Costs of Smoking-"]

TO: H. Kornegay
cc: C. Tucker
FROM: E. Pepples
Date: February 8, 1979

 
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Page One
"The public perception of social costs [of smoking] as a policy issue is very low but it is becoming a crucial element in the thinking and deliberation of government authorities." "...To avoid an adverse mindset on the question of the social costs of cigarette smoking, the industry needs to embark on a thorough, well done and properly supervised program for dealing with this issue."
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Page Two
"Reportedly the study makes the lugubrious argument that some positive value should be assigned to the early death rate of smokers, that their early death saves society the geriatrics and nursing home costs of old age. The foregoing illustrates a mistake which should not be repeated on this side... Otherwise you may end up with some bad surprises."
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Page Three
"Dr. Berger of Rutgers University is well known in sociology and has written a delightful 'anti-antismoker' magazine article in which he discusses the religious sociology of the fumoaphobia syndrome. He thinks today's smoker is akin to the Jew in Nazi Germany. It is somebody the authoritarian can kick around and legislate against."
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Page Four
"An affirmative philosophical platform will be laid out in support of the social value of cigarette smoking. This value will be referred to as social functions rather than benefits. The emphasis will be on groups and not on individuals. The analysis will deliberately avoid pharmacological claims; that is to say, cigarettes will not be treated as a relaxing 'dependency drug.'"
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Page Five
"It is believed that smoking helps mark out time and may be related to an inner sense of time. It is this sort of inquiry that will be undertaken with regard to the positive contribution of tobacco rather than an inquiry into its effects on the central nervous system. It is also believed that in a social situation smoking can help create a shield against a real or potential aggressor. For example, in a business negotiation cigarette smoking helps to create a barrier against the negotiator across the table."
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Page Six
"The anti-smokers seem to belong to that group of people who feel that 'modern' is bad. They want zero growth. They want to stop the world and get off the chaotic freeways and return to the cowpaths of our pastoral beginnings. They see smoking as modern and as therefore bad. On the other hand, the developing countries want to go the other way. They want more technology and more industry. They Third World wants to take up smoking as a badge of modernity."
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Page Seven
"If you take away the right of smoking you owe something to the smoker who has been denied that right. The consultants indicate that a price curve can be estimated using principles normally applied which will supply a value to the right to smoke... It is the 'settlement sum' which should be payable to the smoker who is forced to give up cigarettes."
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Page Eight
"Policy Development is a most important project in which the various sources of the intelligence on this subject will be organized and the best methods for presenting the information will be formulated for maxiumum public impact. The best statement of the industry's position and the best ways and places for stating it will be determined... each country will be analyzed to find out just where it currently stands along the policy development curve and what steps are appropriate for the industry to take in a particular country in order to favorably influence the external environment."
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Page Nine
"The first results would be production by June, 1979, of a looseleaf binder for copying with the issue of social costs and the immediate, but limited, capacity to respond through credible outside sources to selected aspects of the social costs problem. With the additional expenditures projected over a three year period ending in 1982, a full capacity encompassing both affirmative and reactive ability would be achieved within a budget of slightly over $1 million. If ICOSI undertook this it could be possible to split the cost amoung the seven participating companies."
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Page Ten
Cover sheet -- date stamp only visible markings "Received Feb 28, 1979 A.J. Stevens"
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BACKGROUND NOTE: The tobacco industry hates arguments that focus on the social costs of smoking. The social cost issue puts them in a position where, if they aren't careful, they'll find themselves arguing that it is not 90,000 hospital beds that are attributable to cigarettes but only some figure less than 90,000.

Another bizarre argument mentioned in this document is that smokers actually cost society less because they die sooner. Industry executives were aware of these pitfalls in arguing against the "social cost theory," so they undertook to devise a strategy that would allow them to avoid the topic. That strategy was to move the argument onto another plain entirely, like how smoking benefits society, to focus on the libertarian views of government intervetion and, finally, to calculate and make known the financial value of the lost "right" to smoke.

Note the unique new term used by the author of this paper to describe tobacco control activists's actions: we have fumoaphobia syndrome.

Quotes:

Last fall Charles Tucker and I were asked to review the issue of social costs and recommend the best way to achieve a response capability in the area...

The public perception of social costs as a policy issue is very low but it is becoming a crucial element in the thinking and deliberations of government authorities. It also appears to assume an important place in the attack plan of anti-smoking groups. A default on this issue by the industry surely will result in unfavorable public opinion... to avoid adverse mindset on the question of the social costs of cigarette smoking, the industry needs to embark on a thorough, well done and properly supervised program for dealing with this issue...

An attempt to reply in kind is sure to miss the mark...Instead of trying to argue that it is not 90,000 hospital beds which are attributable to cigarettes but only some figure less than 90,000, the better tack is to take the adversary onto higher conceptual ground..

I understand that ICOSI considers the so-called GIRA study an example of what not to do. Reportedly the study makes the lugubrious argument that some positive value should be assigned to the early death rate of smokers, that their early death saves society the geriatrics and nursing home costs of old age. The foregoing illustrates a mistake which should not be repeated on this side...otherwise you may wind up with some bad surprises.

...Dr. Berger of Rutgers University is well known in sociology and has written a delightful "anti-anti smoker" magazine article in which he discusses the religious sociology of the fumoaphobia syndrome. He thinks today's smoker is akin to the Jew in Nazi Gernman. It is someone the authoritarian can kick around and legislate against....

...How relevant is it to count absenteeism or to count cigarette burns on desks and couches as a counterweight to the important social function of an alternate lifestyle?

...The analysis will deliberately avoid pharmacological claims; that is to say, cigarettes will not be treated as a relaxing "dependency drug."

The position platform will be both pragmatic and philosphical...The philosophical questions relating to the sacrifice of civil liberties and the governmental precedent being set will be closely examined, too. Do we really want a law that forbids one from going out in the rain without his rubbers because there is a "social cost" of he catches cold? To what extent are we willing to be mortgaged to each other and to the society?

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF SMOKING:
- on the job
- In negotiation
- In social situations

SMOKING
- marks out time
- marks out space
- provides entree
- relieves conflict
- permits sharing

It is believed that smoking helps mark out time and may be related to an inner sense of time. It is this sort of inquiry that will be undertaken with regard to the positive contribution of tobacco rather than in inquiry into its effects on the central nervous system. [emphasis added]

It is also believed that in a social situation smoking can help create a shield against a real or potential aggressor. For example, in a business negotiation cigarette smoking helps to create a barrier against the negotiator across the table. It also helps to break the ice -- a function, which includes...the European custom of "permitted sharing."

Evidently it is possible to demonstrate the clear and substantial loss in productivity when so-called "smoking shacks" are instituted. The theory is that smokers entering the special area are out of phase with their fellow workers who have already started smoking. Smokers already present stay and light up a second cigarettes. Additional time is consumed in the enjoyment of cigarettes and, of course, time is lost going and coming from the smoking area...

...It is clear that Genghis Khan would never had bothered to do a cost-benefit analysis on the social values of varying lifestyes. Concern for people allegedly is the reason for such a study. Is it fair then to aks what is it worth to the smoker to go on smoking. If smoker will buy cigarettes and pay steadily increasing prices for them a measure can be made of the value of smoking cigarettes....If you take away the right of the smoker you owe something to the smoker who has been denied that right. The consultants indicate that a price curve can be established using principles normally applied which will supply a value to the loss of the right to smoke...It is the "settlement sum" which should be payable to the smoker who is forced to give up cigarettes...

Anne Landman
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
Grand Junction

Title: Social Costs
Type of Document: Memorandum, Budget review (confidential)
Author: Pepples, E.
Recipient: Kornegay, H.
Date: 19790208 (Feb. 8, 1979)
Site: Lorillard Document site http://www.lorillarddocs.com/
Bates No. 03678680/8689
URL: http://www.lorillarddocs.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=03678680/8689

 

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