BMJ 1995;311:1501 (2 December)

Letters

Tobacco companies violated advertising restriction

EDITOR,--Despite its being a specific target in the Health of the Nation strategy, the prevalence of smoking among teenagers has risen in the past two years.1 Three years ago the chief economic adviser to the Department of Health concluded that tobacco advertising increased tobacco consumption.2 The government's response was to renegotiate the voluntary agreement limiting the advertising and promotion of tobacco.3 Assessment of whether advertisements "play on the susceptibilities of ... the young and immature" or "incite people to start smoking"3 is difficult, but compliance with other, more easily measurable parts of the voluntary agreement can be used as an indirect measure of the industry's commitment to the code as a whole.

The revised agreement states that poster advertisements for tobacco will not be placed within 200 m of the main entrance to a school or be clearly visible from within the grounds of a school.3 A survey was carried . . . [Full text of this article]


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