Copy No.
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
TO ALL NO. ls OF ASSOCIATED COMPANIES
SMOKING AND HEALTH
The association of smoking with various diseases
continues to be a major threat to the tobacco
industry. It would be unrealistic to expect a
No breakthrough sudden scientific breakthrough in
the foreseeable
foreseen. future and our policy is based on this
assumption.
Therefore, tobacco companies must consider how
best they can continue to live with the problem
and what steps they can take to ameliorate it.
The companies in the B.A.T. Group most affected
at the present time are those in the U.S.A.,
Canada, Germany, and Australia. Senior
GrouD representatives of these four companies,
together
Con!'erence with reDresentatives rom Millban-k
recently held
a Conference in Canada, to review Group policy
and objectives in this matter. As a result of
their
deliberations the current policy document, dated
June 12tin 1970, is now superseded by this paper.
A distinction musn, be drawn at the outset between
those companies in waose countries the issue is
not yet a live one, and companies who are already
having to deal with the problem in some degree.
It is not suggested that those in the first
category should do anything to initiate action
in the matter, but they should, nevertheless,
prepare themselves to act as suggested later in
this
Industry paper should the matter become live.
Wherever possible,
Leadership the B.A.T. Group company should seek to
exercise
leadershiD within the industry in its country on
the question of smoking and health. It follows
that it is the duty of the management of our
tobacco
companies to be well-informed on Government
attitudes to smoking and health, forewarned and
alert to likely Government action, knowledgeable
about mi.-iisterial intentions and the influence
and
significance of anti-smoking groups.
C--)
Co
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The growing threat to the industry on the health
front in a number of countries is that its
operations
will be seriously restricted by anti-smoking
legislation
including punitive taxation. B.A.T. should not
sub-
scribe to indLrstry attitudes which we consider
are,
through their intransigence, likely to provoke
undesirable legislation. Our aim is to persuade
all
Main aim those concerned - other members of the
industry,
members of the medical profession and governments
-
towards courses of action acceptable to consumers
and
the public which are designed to preserve the
industry's
long-term commercial interests, and at the same
time
to be as reasonable and realistic as possible in
the
light of scientific developments. Wherever
possible,
we should seek to arrange for all smoking and
health
matters to be dealt with through an association.
of all
.members of the industry.
The medical and health autftoritien (including
tho!7e in
gover,=ent service) exert the strongest influence
on
Government action in this field. They are also the
arbiters of the hualth effoct of any product
change:: we
maj make. In the last analysis, therefore, the
views
of such authorities could dictate the future of
the
industry.
Our objectives, there-fore, are:
1. To Dersuade medical and gover-rLmenz; opinion,
that
tobacco products (modified as zwr from time to
time
be required by Government heal-~,", authorities aj
knowledge increases) perform a useful and
benefic.-ial
SOC4a.j, function.
Ob-'ec t4 ves 2. To enter into dialogue with
medical authorities and
Gove--nment denartments on the possibility of
develop-
ing modified products acceptable to the consumer
and recommended by medical a-utlnorit-Les as bein7
likely to be less halrMful.
In f,_rtherance o-:' tne two previouz obJectives,
to
develop suizable s-.z-ate-ies- for influencing
medical
a-qd Govornment opinion and get each group to
accep-.
some resDonsibility for helping to solve what is
seen to ~e a maJor nublic health oroblem, rather
thai
putting all the onus on the indu_-~ry.
4. To see that research on the benefitz of smoking
is
undertaken wherever possible and that information
on
this matter is circulated to all Group companies.
In the first instance, it will be our companies in
the
U.S.A., Canada, Germany, and Australia who,
toRether
with Millbank, will proceed with Item a, and
Millbarik
will keep other corrman_-~s informed of progress.
In t~,e earlY days of t!ii, controverzy it seemed
good
sense for the indur:try zo content zh,~ vaiidity
of
all the evidence agai=~,- smoking (and this may
still
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BATCO document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 2
November 1999


3
be necessary to avoid damage-o in law sz;.4ts)
but there is 1-ittle doubt that the inflexibility
of this attitude created in some countries
ho;tility
and even contempt for the industry among
intelligent
and fair-minded doctors. As these are among the
people whom the industry most seeks to influence,
it is thought that we should have a reasonable
answer on the question of causation. It is
suggested
View on our answer should be expressed in future
on the. following
Causation lines:-
"We recognize that a substantial number of
medical authorities have expressed the opinion
that a causal relationshiD has been established
between cigarette smoking and lung cancer and
certain other diseases, while some doctors and
other scientific experts have expressed doubts
about the evidence. It seems to us, that in
the absence of clinical proof of the mechanism'
involved, the issue of causation at the present
tim-e remains controversial. This controversy
car. only be finally resolved through further
research and the induotry is prepared to cooperate
with government and medical authorities in any
such work."
The opporzuniry can also be taken to recali ~he
sratemenc
in the 1962 Report of the U.K. Royall College of
Phys4cians that smoking i:7, "a habit which most-
smokers
enjoy without injury to t~-eir health", and tais
wao
not contrad4cted in the further R.C.P. ReDorz o'
January 1971. We can also pcinr out that-we, at
manufacturers, have alwajrs taken the attitude
that i-
Moderar'.1-a is sensible for consumers to exercise
modera-ion
smoking, as in other thiniz_-. 'We car. also to
the benefits which smokers derive from smoking. In
r". n e f i t. -~ this context the question
rai-sed in the 1964- Report of
the U.S. Surgeon General, set out below, iS
particularly
pertinent:
"'Arhat would satisfy the psycholog4cal needs of
the 70,000,000 Americans who smoked in 1963 if
they were suddenly deprived of tobacco?
If the thesis is acceDted that the fundamental
nature of man will not change significantly
in the foreseeable future, it is then sa-fe to
predict that man will continue to utilise
phLa-macologic aids in his search for contentment.
Seeking the goodwill and ccop--~ration of the
medical
authorities should not Lnhiblt us from questioning
vigorously any factually incorrect or dishonest
statemenrZz
made by the opponents of smoking.
01%
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In those countries where the industry is carryjiag
out or sponsoring health research, it should keep
the medical authorities fully informed and welcome
their collaboration and views. It should also make
Industry known to them the extent of the research
effort- in
Research other countries. In countries where the
local industry
has sponsored no such research to date, it should
provide the Ministry of Health or appropriate
medical
authorities, with information about industry
research
in other countries. In giving any information
about
research it is important to place the emphasis on
the quality of the research rather than its cost,
since the latter often compares unfavourably w-Eth
advertising or promotional expenditure.
B.A.T. is opposed in principle to the imposition
of
Advertisimg restraints or restrictions on
advertising, coupon
Restrictions trading, or other types of promotion,
as these are
accepted commercial practices in a fzt~e
entezzmrise i
, i:3 an adult
system. B.A.T. considers that smoking
choice and does not direct its advertising at the
young. There is little or no evidence that
advertising increases total consumption. Where,
however,
Government insists on some res-cricticas, the
quest,101-
arises as to whether it is better for the
ind-u-s7ry
for this to be effected throug'a volunrary
a~Ereemezrir
or by legislation. Voluntp-ry :-es-z;ric7ions
present
t~ie industry in a more favourab_'~_ I .J*L;:az
than t.ne:
i-mosition of legal control:-, or Dron-bitions.
~:! moz-
caSes voluntaxy agreement would s-?em 7a be
but there are some argumentc favouri-nz
legiSla-,10n.
4) in Fcde-a, z-,;-!7~ems leiz~ Tlation -r zi:-
centz-~ oreeni-j:S: s!:a-:-~ cr
_iegisla=-es enac-._~=~3 a number
I
differing lawn.
-'i Voluntary agreeme=s to
dishonoured by a com--:~,:_7,or who-ze mar.----".
position is being serio.;sly th.7eatened;
legislation requires all compe-:~_tors to
cormly.
iii) Legislation is less easily charzed for
the worse than a volunrary agreement.
There is attached to thiS oaDer a Report dated
February
1973 on the growth of res~riczions world-wide on
the
p e nd4
adv~_rtisJniz and marketinw'ot" tobacco -:roduct-z
(AD _x A".
Tar and The r)ublication oC ta-z- a-nd aicotine
leaglue tables
Nicozine Lea~z,;e to be relatively lip-riless to
t---e ind,,.:_-zry, but tfte
Tables iniziative for such action saouli a.'wa:,rs
be seen to be
taken by the Government and noz b-7 t"ne
indu-:z-.:-y. The L14
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industry should always aim to get tar arid
nicotine
firmly separafed in the minds of the authorities
and
the Dublic. It should insist that the tests are
made by a laboratory independent of any member
of the industry. Publication of brands i-a
alDhabetical order is preferable to ranking by
levels. Every Group company should have available
a brand which would be favourably placed in the
table,
and a filter version of a particular brand should
always
No Health show a lower level than the plain
version. Group
Claims policy of never making health claims
remains unchanged.
We should resist as far as possible the imposition
by Government of maximum levels for tar and
nicotine.
If a Government is determined to take such action,
we should strive to have the levels fixed
sufficiently
high to cover the majority of brands on the
market.
If necessary, we should point out that a reduction
og
nicotine below a level satisfactory to the
consumer
migh-c lead to increased per capita consumption.
Tar and The printi-ig of tar and nicotine figures
on Dacks
Nicotine or in advertising should be resisted as
far as
Figures o r- possible on the main ground that
figuzes can imply
Packs that small differences indicate degrees of
safety
and the f urther ground that var4 ations Jn b'end,
etc.,
'L
'
esul
t in the
since a brand was last tested cl~ also r
consumer being misled. If compliance is insisted
on,
fig-,ares are preferable to groupings under
headings
such as, "high", "medium", and "low" (although the
U.K. industry has accepted grouping for tar
content
on packets).
Cautionary wa--ning notices on packs would appear
War-iinx fram exoer4ence to have had no
significant effect on
Notices total consumption. If insisted on, the
word-rigmust
make clear that the warning emanates from
a-Govermment
source. Warning notices in advertising stould be
resisted as long as possible.
There is a~.tached7 for general information, a
summary (Appendix B) of other matters dealt -with
at the recent Smoking and Health Conference
referred to on page I of this paper.
ADr/CAF
ON
Un
BATCO document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 2
November 1999