Federally Mandated Point-of-Sale Statements Correct Big Tobacco’s Deceptive Statements
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 18, 2023) – Tobacco Stops With Me will launch a new campaign educating the public about court-mandated corrective statements displayed by tobacco retailers on Sept. 25. The statements correct Big Tobacco’s past deceptions and tell the truth about the dangers of smoking and tobacco products.
After more than 20 years of litigation, a federal court is forcing tobacco companies to display these corrective statements at 200,000 tobacco retailers nationwide, highlighting information they long fought to keep from the public: the dangers of smoking, the impact of secondhand smoke, their strategies for sustaining addiction and more.
“Big Tobacco has been lying to Americans and their elected representatives for years,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. “Big Tobacco is telling the truth now because they are legally required to set the record straight. We want to ensure Oklahomans have the whole truth.”
In her ruling in United States v. Philip Morris, Judge Gladys Kessler found that tobacco companies “have marketed and sold their lethal products with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted” and “abused the legal system to achieve their goal — to make money with little, if any, regard for individual illness and suffering, soaring health costs or the integrity of the legal system.”
A new campaign from Tobacco Stops With Me, “Corrective Statements,” adds information and context to Big Tobacco’s corrective statements that underscores the industry’s dastardly business practices and highlights the findings from the Kessler ruling.
“Corrective Statements” resources are available online for community leaders, health advocates, educators, parents and others, and will be posted near the court-ordered signs at tobacco retailers across Oklahoma. The campaign will also include social media content, print and digital ads.
To see this campaign and learn more about the truth behind Big Tobacco’s lies, visit StopsWithMe.com.
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Tobacco Stops With Me is a statewide campaign, funded through the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Trust, that provides an efficient, emotional and highly recognizable tobacco-free message for Oklahomans to rally around. By educating the public about the negative effects and impact of tobacco, the goal of Tobacco Stops With Me is to prevent and reduce tobacco use, and improve the health and quality of life of every Oklahoman. Tobacco Stops With Me aims to inspire individuals to make positive changes—not only for their own health, but for the health of the entire state as well. Free resources and more information at StopsWithMe.com.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, go to Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health