(Salt Lake City, UT) – In 2006, major U.S. tobacco companies were court-ordered to run T.V. and newspaper ads (corrective statements*) admitting they knew their products had deadly consequences. These ads were released in November 2017 and deliberately designed to be the biggest flop of the year. With more than 900 kids under the age of 18 becoming new daily smokers in Utah every year, Way to Quit, the Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) tobacco cessation program, remade the ad with a classic cast of tobacco victims because Utahns deserve the truth.
While Utah has the lowest smoking rate in the country, tobacco is still a problem, claiming the lives of 1,300 Utahns a year. Karlee Adams, program manager for the UDOH Tobacco Prevention and Control program said, “It’s important for Utahns to know the health effects and understand the addictiveness of these products. Big Tobacco continues to seek new tobacco users to replace those they lose, spending an estimated $39.3 million on advertising in Utah alone; most of this advertising targets youth.”
Way to Quit invites the public to learn more about Big Tobacco’s deceptions with the screening of “The Confession” on Thursday, January 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in front of Squatters Pub (147 West Broadway, Salt Lake City). This 30 second film will run on loop projected on the side of the building. Representatives from Way to Quit will be on hand to answer question, discuss the corrective statements, and provide cessation information. For more information visit theconfession.org or waytoquit.org.
*A federal court in 2006 ordered the major U.S. tobacco companies to make “corrective statements” after finding them guilty of breaking civil racketeering laws and lying to the public about the dangers of smoking and how they marketed to children. After 11 years of appeals by the tobacco companies aimed at weakening and delaying the statements the ads began running in November 2017. They even fought (successfully) to remove the phrase “here is the truth” from the corrective statements, which would have highlighted the fact that the industry deliberately deceived the public.
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Media Contact:
Brittany Karzen
(m) 714-267-3679