Games cigarettes

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32968, 14 July 1972, Page 8

Games cigarettes

The acceptance by the Commonwealth Games i Organising Committee- of the offer by Godfrey! Phillips. Ltd. of 1c a packet from the sales of a i new brand of cigarette has been sharply criticised ' by Dr D. R. Hay and by most of the correspondents i who have written to “ The Press ” on the subject. [ The assumption made by some of our correspondents i that cigarette smoking—and lung cancer—will be increased because of the introduction of the new brand is. however, unwarranted. The new brand. Gold Medal, will raise 540.000 for the Games if, as its promoters hope, it secures 1.25 per cent of the New Zealand market. The company evidently expects Gold Medal to displace existing brands—including Godfrey Phillips brands—to that extent. If the sales budget is reached only a small proportion of the $40,000 contributed to the Games will, in effect, j have been financed from the sales of Gold Medal. The more weighty objection to the scheme is j 1 contained in Dr Hay’s criticism. “One of the ' “ problems about trying to control cigarette smoking IJ “is to get the message across to young people;, “before they take it up. This is made more difficult !i “ when they see responsible adults apparentlyI 1 “accepting such a liaison as this between cigarette P “companies and sports bodies”. Before the Gold Medal campaign and the adverse public reaction f have gone any further the Games Committee should c think again If Godfrey Phillips and the other c tobacco companies wish to contribute to the Games. ® let them do so in the same way as other business j s firms make a donation without any strings attached jt