The uproar over limits on tobacco products is still flaring—witness the fracas in Westminster, Mass., around a proposal to become the first U.S. town to snuff out tobacco sales. But during a recent Association of American Medical Colleges meeting, former HHS Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan pointed out how much the smoke has cleared in 25 years.
During his presentation, Sullivan presented a slide showing him and fellow members of President George H.W. Bush's Cabinet taking their seats for their first meeting on Jan. 20, 1989. At every seat was a name plate, an agenda, a coffee cup—and an ashtray. Sullivan was able to decree HHS offices smoke-free, but he couldn't get smoking banned in the White House—though he did get those ashtrays removed from the Cabinet room.
A year later, his anti-smoking message grabbed its biggest spotlight. Sullivan was to speak at the opening of a scientific research building at the University of Pennsylvania. About the same time, a protest was planned in Philadelphia over R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s test marketing plans for Uptown, a menthol cigarette targeted to African-Americans. Sullivan wanted to mention the controversy, but knew that Cabinet members' speeches had to be screened by the White House 24 hours in advance to avoid contradictory messages.
Worried his comments would be censored by tobacco-industry operatives in the federal government, Sullivan turned in his written speech just two hours before his appearance.
“At a time when our people desperately need the message of health promotion, Uptown's message is more disease, more suffering and more death for a group already bearing more than its share of smoking-related illness and mortality,” Sullivan said in his speech. The tobacco industry called for disciplinary action or his dismissal, to no avail, he said. And the Uptown brand never went on sale.
As for Westminster, a recent hearing on the tobacco-products ban grew so unruly officials shut it down and no date has been set for a vote by the local board of health.
