Vic: Tobacco marketing encourages children to smoke

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2000
Vic: Tobacco marketing encourages children to smoke

Anti-smoking lobby group Quit says unscrupulous cigarette retailers and tobacco companies
are offering marketing gimmicks with cigarettes that may lure children into smoking.

It says vulnerable children could for example be enticed by offers of free watches,
shot glasses sold with packets of Peter Jackson, diaries and pens sold with Alpine and

lighters with packs of Horizon and SuperKings.

Quit executive director TODD HARPER told reporters in Melbourne that dubious point-of-sale
advertising and promotional gifts offered with cigarettes run against the spirit of Victorian
laws.

Mr TODD says Quit's bought many promotional cigarette packets in the past few months
and taken photographs of them and where they're placed in the shop.

He says the cigarette promotional packets and photographs will be handed to the authorities
to determine if they contravene current laws.

But a representative of Philip Morris Australia, which owns the Peter Jackson brand,
denies the company at any time aims it's products at children.

Spokesman ERIC WINDHOLZ says Philip Morris includes promotional items with cigarettes
from time to time but all marketing activities are aimed at adults who'd chosen to smoke.

AAP RTV sj/er/as

KEYWORD: TOBACCO (MELBOURNE)

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