HEALTH WATCH : Goodby to ‘Old Joe’

“Old Joe,” the cartoon character in Camel cigarette ads, may be a cool dude but the surgeon general believes “it’s time that we invite Old Joe Camel to take a hike.”

Old Joe is a bad influence because he apparently is too effective in pitching cigarettes to the young.

In an unusual move, Surgeon General Antonia Novello and the American Medical Assn. have joined in asking the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to voluntarily stop using the Camel mascot in promoting the sixth best-selling cigarette brand in the United States. The surgeon general has no power to stop any ad campaign.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. last December found that 6-year-olds were almost as familiar with Old Joe as with Mickey Mouse. Another showed that in the three years since Old Joe was introduced, Camel’s share of the under-18 smokers market rose to 33% from 0.5%. Camel smokers between the ages 18 and 24 also increased, to 7.9% from 4.4%. The studies have alarmed some health groups.

Reynolds insists Old Joe does not cause anyone to smoke. It defends its ads under First Amendment rights of free speech.

The company is indeed free to run an advertising campaign as it sees fit. But this debate is not just about rights. It is about corporate social responsibility. Considering that Reynolds is among those tobacco companies that say they aren’t interested in recruiting under-age smokers, Old Joe clearly is sending a mixed message. In a show of goodwill, Reynolds should retire him.