Altria Means Tobacco: Philip Morriss Identity Crisis
Elizabeth A. Smith, PhD and
Ruth E. Malone, PhD, RN
Elizabeth A. Smith is with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco. Ruth E. Malone is with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, and the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Elizabeth A. Smith, PhD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Box 0612, Laurel Heights Campus, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143 (e-mail: libbys{at}itsa.ucsf.edu).
Philip Morris Companies, the worlds largest and mostprofitable tobacco seller, has changed its corporate name toThe Altria Group. The company has also embarked on a plan toimprove its corporate image.
Examination of internal company documents reveals that thesechanges have been planned for over a decade and that the companyexpects to reap specific and substantial rewards from them.
Tobacco control advocates should be alert to the threat PhilipMorriss plans pose to industryfocused tobacco controlcampaigns.
Company documents also suggest what the vulnerabilities of thoseplans are and how advocates might best exploit them.
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