Dear Colleagues:
Welcome to the new electronic version of American Legacy Foundation's® newsletter, part of our ongoing efforts to keep you up to date with the latest foundation activities, news and research. Through this monthly e-newsletter, as with our various programs and initiatives, we hope to continue to raise public awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and provide resources to smokers who want to quit.
Many of you are familiar with our very effective truth® campaign to help youth reject tobacco. truth® constantly reinvents itself in an effort to reach the 12-17 year old, 'sensation-seeking teen' demographic, by keeping its messages relevant and new. To that end, we will launch truth® documentary on May 22, 2006, taking truth® straight into teens' lives with a lexicon that resonates with them. truth® documentary is classic truth® - bold and edgy, informing teens in a voice they understand about facts straight from the files of Big Tobacco. truth® documentary will begin with television and radio advertisements, with print ads to follow.
Our new and innovative cessation brand, EXsm, continues to move forward with input from our newly formed Advisory Committee. We plan to pilot the brand in Fall 2006.
Sincerely,
Cheryl G. Healton, Dr. P.H.
President & CEO
American Legacy Foundation
Foundation Continues Fight to Save Life-Saving truth® Youth Smoking Prevention Campaign
The latest development in the legal battle between the American Legacy Foundation® and Lorillard Tobacco Company took place on April 26, 2006, when the case was argued before the Delaware Supreme Court. Despite the foundation's legal victories in August 2005 and again in October 2005, Lorillard appealed its claim to the Delaware Supreme Court that the foundation's truth® campaign vilifies and personally attacks tobacco companies in violation of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The foundation urged the court to affirm the decision of the Delaware Chancery Court which found that none of the foundation's ads violate the MSA. The foundation also appealed the lower court's decision to allow the foundation to be subject to suit under terms of the MSA.
Tobacco Industry Profits Despite Smaller Number of Youth Smokers
Despite a drop in the U.S. youth smoking rate, tobacco companies' revenue from youth smokers increased, according to a report in the April issue of Tobacco Control. Dr. Cheryl Healton, President and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation®, was the lead author of the report, which said that in 1997, U.S. youth – defined as students in grades 8 through 12 - smoked 890 million packs of cigarettes, which generated $737 million in revenue for the tobacco industry. By 2002, youth cigarette consumption dropped to 541 million packs of cigarettes, but despite this decline in smoking, revenue for Big Tobacco jumped to $1.2 billion as a result of increases in the (wholesale) price of cigarettes.
American Legacy Foundation® Invites Everyone to Join the Circle of Friends® New York Mini 10K – the Only Race Where the Goal is to Quit
For the third consecutive year, the American Legacy Foundation® joins New York Road Runners in sponsoring the Circle of Friends® New York Mini10K race in New York City's Central Park. This event on June 10th is meant to increase public awareness while raising funds for programs to help women quit smoking.
The American Legacy Foundation® Creates Tobacco Research Institute
The foundation announced that it plans to establish the Steven A. Schroeder National Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies to advance the science behind social marketing, smoking cessation and tobacco control policy. The Institute, to be located in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region, is collaborating with Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health to identify research opportunities linked to the nation's number one cause of preventable death – tobacco-related disease.
The foundation welcomes Arkansas State Senator Irma Hunter Brown to its Board of Directors. Brown is the first African American woman in Arkansas' history to serve as a state senator, and has been representing Little Rock since 2002.
documentary Launch