187 The+following+information+was+received+from+Beth+Kuhn%2e+For+more+information+email%3a+%5cmail%7bbkuhn%40kickbutt%2eorg%2cbkuhn%40kickbutt%2eorg%7d%0a%2a%2a%2a%2a%0a%0aJune+11%2c+2001+%0a%0aJoe+Camel+may+be+gone%2c+but+cigarette+makers+are+still+coming+up+with+ads+that+have+a+greater+impact+on+young+people+than+anti%2dsmoking+messages%2c+said+a+study+released+Monday%2e%0a%0aExposure+to+cigarette+ads+leads+young+people+to+identify+smoking+with+popularity+and+relaxation%2c+and+these+associations+are+stronger+than+any+perceived+risk+picked+up+from+anti%2dsmoking+ads%2c+the+University+of+Pennsylvania%27s+Annenberg+Public+Policy+Center+reported%2e%0a%0aThe+research+was+culled+from+interviews+in+1999+and+2000+of+approximately+2%2c600+people+aged+14+to+22+and+1%2c500+people+23+and+older%2e%0a%0aIn+1998%2c+the+tobacco+industry+ended+a+slew+of+health%2drelated+lawsuits+by+agreeing+to+make+annual+payments+to+the+states+worth+%24246+billion%2e+The+settlement+also+included+restrictions+on+advertising+that+might+attract+teen%2dagers%2e+Among+these+were+a+ban+on+billboards+and+cartoon+characters+such+as+R%2eJ%2e+Reynolds%27+Joe+Camel%2e%0a%0aBut+young+people+still+are+exposed+to+cigarette+ads+in+magazines%2c+convenience+stores+and+through+promotional+events+in+bars+and+restaurants%2c+the+report+said%2e%0a%0aAdolescents+and+young+adults+were+more+likely+to+recall+cigarette+ads+than+those+over+age+30%2e+For+example%2c+nearly+90+percent+of+18%2dyear%2dolds+recalled+recently+seeing+such+ads%2c+compared+with+about+50+percent+of+50%2dyear%2dolds%2e%0a%0aAbout+75+percent+of+18%2dyear%2dolds+reported+seeing+anti%2dsmoking+ads%2e+Such+messages+did+increase+awareness+about+the+risks+of+smoking%2c+but+they+did+not+stop+people+from+trying+cigarettes+if+other+ads+had+already+formed+positive+images+about+smoking%2c+the+report+said%2e%0a%0aMatthew+Myers%2c+president+of+the+Campaign+for+Tobacco%2dFree+Kids%2c+called+that+an+important+finding%2e+%26quot%3bTeen%2dagers+are+less+responsive+to+information+about+health+risks+than+they+are+about+the+overall+psychological+view+of+smoking+that%27s+fostered+by+tobac+co+marketing%2c%26quot%3b+he+said%2e%0a%0aThe+report+said+young+people+had+misconceptions+about+the+risks+of+smoking%2e+For+example%2c+it+said+63+percent+of+young+people+incorrectly+thought+there+were+more+deaths+each+year+due+to+drug+and+alcohol+abuse+than+to+tobacco%2e%0a%0aOf+those+questioned%2c+about+80+percent+of+smokers+said+they+thought+smoking+was+addictive%2c+but+about+60+percent+said+they+thought+quitting+was+%26quot%3beither+very+easy+or+possible+for+most+people+if+they+really+try%2e%26quot%3b%0a%0a%26amp%3bquo+t%3bThey+have+a+misunderstanding+of+that%2c+and+that+encourages+them+to+try+cigarettes+without+understanding+that+it%27s+not+that+easy+to+quit%2c%26quot%3b+said+Dan+Romer%2c+a+research+director+at+the+Annenberg+Center%2e%0a%0aRomer+said+researchers+considered+exposure+to+anti%2dsmoking+ads+that+occurred+in+1999+or+earlier%2c+which+means+that+hard%2dhitting+messages+by+the+American+Legacy+Foundation+were+not+part+of+the+study%2e%0a%0aThe+foundation+was+set+up+as+part+of+the+tobacco+settlement+to+run+an+anti%2dsmoking+pr+ogram+estimated+to+cost+%241%2e5+billion%2e+One+of+its+ads%2c+disputing+whether+the+industry+had+changed%2c+was+narrated+by+a+man+talking+with+an+electronic+larynx%2e%0a%0a%26quot%3bThe+legacy+ads+increase+youth+exposure+to+effective+counter%2dmarketing+but+are+not+a+sufficient+response+to+the+tobacco+industry%27s+%248%2e24+billion+annual+marketing+budget%2c%26quot%3b+Romer+said%2e%0a%0aThat+is+the+amount+the+five+largest+cigarette+manufacturers+spent+on+advertising+and+promotions+in+1999%2c+according+to+the+Federal+Trade+Comm+ission%2e+It+was+a+22+percent+increase+from+1998%2e%0a%0aPhilip+Morris+Inc%2e+spokesman+Brendan+McCormick+said+some+of+that+money+went+toward+boosting+in%2dstore+promotions%2e+But+he+added+that+much+of+the+industry%27s+advertising+efforts+had+been+scaled+back+as+a+result+of+the+settlement%2e%0a%0a%26quot%3bThe+overall+visibility+of+cigarette+ads+has+been+reduced%2c%26quot%3b+McCormick+said%2e