Table 1 Social Acceptability Working Party Projects, 1978–1981
Project Title, Year(s) | Description | Outcome(s) |
|---|---|---|
Public smoking position paper, 1978 | 44 page paper (drafted by US law firm) arguing secondhand smoke is not harmful to nonsmokers and regulation is unnecessary [62]. | • Ratified by member companies, distributed to NMAs [263, 264]. • Updated regularly [136]. |
11 nation public opinion survey, 1978 | Eleven country survey of attitudes on the social acceptability of smoking [265]. | • Results presented at NMA workshop in 1979 [266]. • Data, analyses distributed to NMAs [266]. |
NMA workshops, 1979–1991 | Meetings for NMA representatives to exchange information and strategies [75, 267]. | Offered yearly [268, 269]. |
Social costs/social values study, 1978–1981 | A project to: • provide NMAS with arguments to counter WHO's assertion that smoking imposed a social cost on society [270]. • document social benefits of smoking [270]. • "drive a wedge" between "anti" and non-smokers [271]. | • May 1981 conference at University of Pennsylvania on cost/benefit analysis of the regulation of consumer products, with 6 of 8 speakers industry consultants [270, 272]; only 22 of 10,000 invitees attended [273]. • Proceedings published in book form [274]. • Training program for NMAs to produce data on social benefits of smoking [270]. • Publication of "The Social Costs of Smoking" in Policy Review [275]. • Development of scientific experts (e.g., Dr. Stephen Littlechild, University of Birmingham, UK) [270, 275]. |
Fourth World Conference on Smoking and Health Task Force, 1978–1979 | Committee to prepare for and monitor conference in order to minimize its impact [59]. | • Prepared biographies of speakers and background papers on advertising, public smoking, and smoking and health for NMAs and member companies [276–278]. • Arranged for scientific consultants to attend conference [279]. • Monitored the conference and briefed ICOSI members [279]. • Prepared final conference summary [280]. |
Third World Working Committee, 1978–1979 | Subcommittee of 4th World Conference Task Force on Smoking and Health formed to identify and refute likely accusations by conference participants regarding tobacco and the Third World [281]. | • Provided background papers to NMAs [83]. • Commissioned UK Economist Intelligence Unit study on the role of tobacco growing in Third World development [282]. |
Project Mayfly, 1980–1981 | Project to develop template for NMA public relations and communication campaigns to "influence, modify, or change public opinion to [sic] the industry, smokers and smoking" [283–285]. | Field trials conducted in Australia and New Zealand considered successful [286, 287]. |
Space restrictions on smoking, 1980 | Project to collect and analyze information on public and work place smoking restrictions to help NMAs defend right to smoke in public [78]. | Conducted survey of 14 NMAs; results presented at 1980 workshop [288]. |
Allies project, 1980 | Project to identify potential tobacco industry allies and develop strategies to encourage them to defend industry positions [78, 272]. | Due to overlap with areas covered by other working parties (i.e., advertising, developing countries), project reassigned to those groups [288]. |