Letter: Advertising of tobacco products
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Emma Forrest's letter to Brian Mawhinney, calling for a tobacco advertising ban (7 March) exhibits an interesting paradox. On the one hand, she asserts that tobacco advertising encourages new smokers, especially teenagers, but after pointing to her own experience, she tells us that she tried smoking 'because everyone else was doing it and I didn't want to be rude or standoffish'.
Either Ms Forrest is different from all her contemporaries, or she grants tobacco advertising an influence it does not have. Independent research from all over the world shows that peer pressure and the influence of the family are the decisive reasons why children start to smoke.
Tobacco advertising, like advertising for many hundreds of products in a mature market, cannot make people buy something they do not want. Like advertising for petrol or soap powder, it is used to build and defend market share for brands in (where tobacco is concerned) a steeply declining market.
Rather than look for spurious reasons why tobacco advertising should be banned, Ms Forrest is right to speculate whether tobacco's critics should own up to their wish to see the product banned altogether.
Yours faithfully,
BEN WELSH
Public Affairs Manager
Tobacco Manufacturers Association
London, SW1
7 March
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments