Talking Back to Big Tobacco: Letters from Across America

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Talking Back to Big Tobacco Letters from Across
America

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The reach of the tobacco industry

• Tobacco companies spend a fortune mailing
  materials to the homes of smokers or potential
  smokers.
• They get names through sign ups for contests, at
  events, mailing lists, subscription lists,
  membership lists, etc.
• They send individuals a wide variety of materials
  aimed at keeping them smoking and keeping them
  smoking specific brands.

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Industry Mailings

• Coupons for reduced price cigarettes
• Consumer surveys
• Catalogs of branded items
• Birthday greetings
• Letters to encourage smokers to protest against
  tobacco control regulations
• Event promotions featuring cigarette brands
• Magazines that look like regular magazines

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Letters from America

• Letters featured in this slide show were found in
  the tobacco companies formerly secret documents
  that were made public after the 1998 Master
  Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry
  and states attorneys general.
• The Legacy Tobacco Documents Library has all the
  documents that have been releasedapproximately 7
  million documents
• http//legacy.library.ucsf.edu/index.html

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The Public Letters

• From Smokers and their families
• Narratives of Suffering
• Anger/Bitterness
• Shaming/Moral Pleas
• Mobilization

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Bearing witnessHonoring those who wrote

• Struggling smokers
• Bereaved spouses
• Grieving parents
• Orphaned children
• Embittered friends and family members

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Thanks, but no thanks for the Birthday Card
from Marlboro Country. Why would you send a
birthday card to someone hooked on something that
you label causes lung cancer, heart disease, and
emphysema?
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Louisiana Since you are so interested in
statistics, you have one less smoker in the
world. I am sure that is not very important to
you after all, I am just one person. However, it
is extremely important to meI have spent the
last two months in absolute agony while trying to
quitThis addiction is awful I had no idea it
was going to be this hardI think it is
unforgivable what you are doing to your fellow
human beings.
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Arkansas I hope they would put a 5 tax on all
cigarettes. Because I am setting here in my
Living Room with not enough breath to walk to Bed
Room. Results of 3 packs a day for 30 years
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Anywhere, USAHow dare you send me this. I had
cancer of the throat. Voice box goneLife is
over. I wished smokes was never invented. You
know cigarettes caused this cancer.
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OregonI am a retired nurse and I have nothing
but loathing for your company. You should all be
in prison for murder.
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New JerseyYou are a bunch of murderers!
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California This poor woman died of lung
cancerYou should be ashamed of yourselves.
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California My mother died of cancer four years
ago and up to the moment she went into a coma she
wanted a cigaretteShe may have been nothing but
a customer to you but she was a huge part of my
life. At least have the decency to stop forcing
me to remember that she died for a profit for
your company.
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New Jersey Please do not send anything about
smoking. My husbanddoes not smoke any more. He
has emphysema as a direct result of smoking. He
is terminally ill. He will not get better and
will eventually die from a lack of oxygen.he
is only 57 years oldGet into another business.
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The product that you and your associates are
promoting through this sweepstakes has caused
irreparable damage to my familyNever contact
this household again.
21
New Mexico Please remove the name of Ronald
Castleberry from your mailing list. He passed
away October 22 from pulmonary obstruction at the
age of 58. He smoked from the time he was 15
years of age. Signed, his mother and his father
22
WisconsinI do not want any literature sent to
my house. Donald died Sept 24th of emphysema, and
as a first class witness I can truthfully say
that is the most scary thing one must go through
to see a loved one on a machine and still crying
for help just to try to keep breathing. You kept
them coupons coming which made it even harder for
him to stop smokingPlease stop sending the
literature for these killers.
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Indiana I just wanted you to know what your
questionnaire did to my family. About a year and
a half ago my mother died from cancer of the
lungsShe took so many painkillers she actually
hallucinated. December 31 she died in my arms. At
that time she weighed 86 pounds.
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From PennsylvaniaI got your letter (enclosed)
thanking me for standing by MarlboroIn March my
mother passed away from lung cancercaused by
years of smoking cigarettes. She started with
lung cancer, which then spread to her liver and
then went on to her brain. It was a very painful
death. The last 4 weeks of her life, she was
reduced to a vegetable, wearing diapers, unable
to speak. My mother was not only my mother, but
my very best friend! My whole world has been
crushed by the loss of her. I cannot begin to
describe how devastated our family isshe was
only 57 years old.Im sure the tobacco industry
is only interested in making money, but it is at
the expense of peoples lives. I realize you
dont force people to smoke, butsmoking is an
addiction, people cannot help themselves. My
mother wanted to quit so badlyWhen I close my
eyes at night, all I can see is my mothers face
as she lay dying, and all the hell that she went
throughthat willl haunt our family forever. It
was such a waste.
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• Tennessee
• You can now remove Adrian from your advertising
  computerhe is dead. He smothered to death
  because his lungs could no longer provide his
  body with life giving oxygen.
• My father was never a loyal customer. He was a
  nicotine addicted customer. Those of us who
  knew him miss him greatly. We love him still.
• Dont ever send tobacco related advertisements
  to this address.

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• New Jersey
• To the Makers of Marlboro
• Do not send any more of your coupons or
  promotions to our house.
• Because of Marlboro cigarettes we have lost our
  beloved brother, son and father at 41 years of
  age. He suffered for 11 months with head and neck
  cancer. He smoked more because of your
  promotions we have everything he ordered and it
  was a lot.
• He started smoking when he was about 18 years
  old. He left behind 2 childrenhe will never see
  his son graduate from high school or go to
  college. I was with him almost every night since
  he spent the last 3 months in the hospital.
  Because of your tobacco company we no longer have
  our Dan and the children no longer have a father.
  Lung cancer is not all the cigarettes cause.
• His sister, Katherine

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Somewhere, USA Today my husband, my son and
myself received advertisement form letters from
your company, with a survey attached. Since my
husband and I do not smoke and never did we are
not interestedOur son, on the other hand, used
to smoke 2-3 packsper day. From time to time he
also ordered your free offers and he probably
submitted our names also. Over 2-1/2 years ago,
our Chuck died. He was only 28 years old. As you
cannot imagine, we have suffered much heartache.
This evening my husband went to bed drunk. Later
I found the mail. His survey was opened.Please
remove our name from your computer so that this
very hurtful experience will not happen again.
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Ohio We quit smoking. My son died of lung
cancer. He smoked Marlboro. He is now in Marlboro
Country. He finally quit too.
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Wyoming This will acknowledge the birthday card
... Unfortunately, Mr. Lamb passed away on Feb
2from smoking cigarettes. It was so kind of you
to remember Mr. Lambs birthday however, he will
not be having any more of them, so in the future
it will not be necessary to send him the annual
birthday card and discount coupon for cigarettes.
31
ArizonaMy wife of 28 years has been diagnosed
with terminal lung cancer, caused by use of your
product.She is unable to go to the mailbox, much
less read your self-serving propaganda.
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From Somewhere, USAMy father died last October
at the age of 50 due to lung cancer. He purchased
many of your items in your Marlboro Country
Store Catalog with his cigarette couponsNow
myself and my 16 year old sister are left
fatherlessThe only thing I have to say to you is
that smoking does cause cancer, smoking does kill
and destroy families. You dont need to be a
scientist or conduct a study to figure that out,
just visit my Dads grave if you want proof. Im
glad you can sleep at night in the bed you
probably purchased with your cigarette profits
and not feel guilty about anyones Dad being 6
feet under due to smoking. In other words, you
can take your cigarette coupons and shove them!!!
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MichiganHelen died of lung cancer November 27
after a horrible fight. I hope you get what she
had.
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Take us OFF your disgusting mailing list. Would
you like to hear from us when my father dies of
the emphysema hes suffering from?
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OklahomaMy husband recently died of lung
cancer. I cant believe you sent him this
terrible letter. I hope smoking is banned
throughout the U.S. and you are prevented from
exportDave tried to stop many, many times. Why
dont you publish this letter in your
advertising? You have my permission.
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TennesseeMy husband died of lung cancer at the
age of 56 on 5/27/94. Take me off your damned
mailing list. Mrs. Paul, widowed at age 39 with a
15 year old son
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MassachusettsThis correspondence disgusts me.
What is your message? Death at a lower price?
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Oregon While Margaret was a smoker, and would
have been interested in winning your sweepstakes,
she cant. She died 2/28/93 of lung cancer
brought on by cigarette smoking. Youll have to
find someone else to smoke her share.
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New York Too bad lung cancer (from cigarettes)
claimed Kathes lifeJanuary 15, 1993.Thanks,
BHBenson Hedges
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New York This is to let you know that you can
never get to know my father any betterhe died
from emphysema because of smoking most of his
life. My mother, who passed away four months
prior to my Dad, and never smoked, had the lungs
of a smoker because of living with him all her
life. Dont ever send literature like this to me
againYou have my permission to use this in your
advertising program.
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PennsylvaniaSmoked Benson Hedges for 20
yearsDied of lung cancer at the age of 50 on
8-17-93.TAKE HIS NAME OFF YOUR MAILING LIST NOW!
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Texas I will be delighted to tell you about my
daughterShe lost her life to lung cancer at the
age of 40. Caused from smokingHope you think
again before you send out such a letter. You
dont know how you hurt some one who has lost a
loved one. A grieving mother
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• California
• Whoevers actually reading this, please think
  about what Im saying here. I challenge you to
  have the humanity to give me an honest
  replyMoneys fine, but its not worth killing
  people for, not even one single human being. Why
  dont you just invest it someplace else? Go hang
  out on a cancer ward for awhileand then think
  about whether or not you really want to go to
  work for this kind of place anymore. Would you be
  willing to suffocate even a single human being to
  death in exchange for 30,000 or 50,000 or
  100,000 or however much money you bring home
  every year?...Its just us, folks its just us
  on this planet here. Its okay to wake up now. We
  dont have to lie like this anymore. Please think
  of some other way to spend your life.

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ColoradoBoth my parents have passed
awaycigarette smoking was a major
contributor.When will the greed in your industry
stop? My two boys will grow up without knowing my
parentsI know that we all have to work to put
food on the table and pay bills. But are there no
other choices?To his Legislative
Representative Please, please do whatever you
can to ensure that cigarette smoking is made more
difficultI am one of the silent majority. I have
never written or called any political figure or
office holder on any matter ever. Does that give
you any idea of my feelings on this matter?
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No-Mail and send well take your comments
seriously form letter
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IdahoWe wonder how long we should put up with
this national slaughter.
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Nightingales Message

• A socially responsible company would not continue
  to market products that it admits addict and kill

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Goals

• Use the letters from the public to undermine the
  industrys claims of social responsibility and
  societal alignment
• Honor those who wrote them
• Use nursings credibility with the public to
  challenge industry credibility
• Engage nurses in the larger tobacco control
  battles

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The Nurses Campaign To End Tobacco Marketing

• Calls on Altria/Philip Morris and other tobacco
  companies to voluntarily end active marketing of
  tobacco
• Calls on companies to recognize the suffering and
  devastation their products cause American
  families

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What You Can Do

• Speak out
• --Write a letter to Altria/Philip Morris
• --Write a letter to the editor
• Lend a Hand
• --Support strong local tobacco control policies
• --Campaign endorsements from organizations
• Spread the Word
• --Public readings of letters
• --Displays of letters
• --nightingalesnurses.org