In an action alert emailed today to its constituents, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids insinuated that the tobacco companies are producing gummy worm electronic cigarettes. The title of the email is "Gummy worms," and the headline of the action alert states that "tobacco companies" are "luring kids with candy-flavored e-cigarettes and cigars."
As I've noted previously, this is simply not true. None of the tobacco companies is producing gummy worm-flavored electronic cigarettes.
While the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has every right to fight for a ban on e-cigarette flavorings (a policy with which I vigorously disagree), it has no business lying to and deceiving its constituents in order to promote such a ban.
Telling the truth to its constituents would apparently not be glitzy enough for the Campaign. So instead, it has to lie by making the public think that Big Tobacco has sunk to the level of trying to get kids to use gummy worm-flavored nicotine products. This may be a catchy and eye-grabbing claim that succeeds in getting people riled up, opening up their pocket books, and eliciting donations, but it does so by misleading and deceiving them. That's fundamentally dishonest and unethical, and I don't believe a campaign like this has any place in public health.
Why is the truth not enough?
The Rest of the Story
Perhaps the reason that the truth is not enough is that the truth destroys the made-up story that the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is trying to tell. Their story is that Big Tobacco is up to its old tricks, trying to seduce and addict kids to electronic cigarettes through outrageously blatant appeals to obvious youth-appealing flavors like gummy bear, gummy worm, and cotton candy. But unfortunately for the Campaign, that's not the truth. The truth is that the largest cigarette company in the United States - Altria - produces its MarkTen XL Bold e-cigarettes in only two flavors: tobacco and menthol. And their original MarkTen e-cigarettes come in only four flavors: tobacco, menthol, fusion, and winter mint.
If Altria were truly interested in getting kids addicted to e-cigarettes, I hardly think that it would restrict itself to tobacco, menthol, fusion, and winter mint, when there are thousands of sweet-tasting, candy, fruit, and dessert flavors available that they could be marketing.
The truth just destroys the Campaign's story. But apparently, the Campaign's motto is "never let the truth get in the way of a great story."
The real story is not a pretty one. The rest of the story is that the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids continues to incessantly deceive the public by falsely accusing tobacco companies of marketing gummy worm, gummy bear, and cotton candy electronic cigarettes to children.
Look - I have issued my fair share of accusations against the tobacco companies. I testified in about 10 cases against Big Tobacco, one of which resulted in a $145 billion verdict against the companies. But my testimony was always based on the facts. There were different ways to interpret those facts, but I would never lie or deceive the jury in order to try to make a point or embellish the case.
If we issue false accusations like this against the tobacco companies, then what reason is there for anyone to believe us when we complain about actions that they really have taken?
Perhaps this is why the actions of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids are so disturbing to me. They tarnish the reputation of the entire tobacco control movement, including myself.
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