OTHER NEWS - July 26, 1994

RJR Uses Nonsmokers in Ads: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. breaks a new print ad campaign today that features nonsmokers who promote smokers’ rights. The campaign is an attempt by the tobacco giant to stem the growing tide of government restrictions against smoking. One ad features a woman who played a prominent role in protesting last year’s gasoline tax hike. “Today our government is attempting to influence personal choices in ways I don’t think they ever were supposed to,” says the woman, who later says in the ad’s text, “Personally, I dislike smoking.” Anti-tobacco activists contend the campaign is a sham. “With RJR’s resources, I’m sure they can find people who believe the Earth is flat,” said John F. Banzhaf, executive director of the Washington lobby Action on Smoking and Health.