ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 2, 1997 TAG: 9704020057
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 NATL/INTL EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: PHOENIX
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
``The industry not only pandered to different racial and ethnic groups, it also indulged in demeaning stereotypes.''
In the early 1960s, the tobacco industry knew of nicotine's ``severe toxicity,'' targeted potential smokers as young as 16 and marketed brands especially for black, Hispanic and Jewish smokers, documents released Tuesday how.
Made public by Arizona's attorney general, the documents represent a fraction of the thousands Liggett is turning over to Arizona and 21 other states as part of a landmark settlement.
On March 20, Liggett admitted smoking was addictive, something the tobacco industry has long denied, and agreed to pay one-quarter of its pretax profits over the next 25 years to offset the costs of smoking-related illnesses.
Most of the documents are under seal until state judges determine whether to release them. Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods said the papers delivered to his office over the weekend and released Tuesday do not fall under the attorney-client privilege and are not under seal.
Liggett's competitors denied targeting underage smokers and accused Woods of trying to prejudice potential jurors against the industry.
``We do not market to young people nor will we market to young people,'' said Maura Ellis, of R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Michael York, an attorney for Phillip Morris, said, ``I'm concerned that attorneys general are using these documents for the purpose of reaching out and improperly influencing potential jurors and judges in these cases.''
John Banzhaf, of Action on Smoking and Health, an anti-tobacco group based in Washington, D.C., agreed that the papers will outrage potential jurors, but only because they reveal that ``the industry not only pandered to different racial and ethnic groups, it also indulged in demeaning stereotypes.''
The records show Liggett considered using synthetic ingredients to increase the impact of cigarettes on smokers ``without the severe toxicity of nicotine.''
They also show the tobacco industry devised special marketing tools to take into account ``ethnic factors'' and marketing differences among black, Hispanic and Jewish smokers..
The report said that ``Spanish and Negro groups like to purchase only the best of everything - they are not looking for bargains. ``They can be reached successfully by promotion that they understand, i.e., Negro salesmen and media (but not exclusively).''
The report went on to say that ``there must be a racial slant in the marketing efforts'' directed toward Hispanics and blacks, while ``promotion must be smart and sophisticated'' for the Jewish market.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB