ARGENTINA - Betiana Alvarez, Asociacion Argentina de Educacion y Prevencion del Cancer

• In most of dancing places, young people can obtain cigarettes (if they can’t buy cigarettes inside the place, they can do so in little shops situated around them).
• Around most of schools there are little shops where young people (primary and secondary school students) can buy cigarettes. You can see boys and girls of the ages of 12 or 13 old (or younger) smoking.
• In the summer, Tobacco Companies (like Philip Morris) organize beach sports and promote their cigarettes.
• Winston prize for consumers is a trip to USA . They can find the prize inside the cigarette package.

CZECH REPUBLIC - Hana Sovinova, National Institute of Public Health
I am sending you picture of a new ad, which occurred in our republic after the information that young people are switching from smoking to mobile phones [See http://www.globalink.org/nbtnodigest/0011/msg00002.html]. The motto is: "Have fun and you'll get 10 bucks for your celly". If you smoke WEST cigarettes (Reemtsma) and collect cards, which you will find in boxes, you can win mobile phone, GSM watches, credits for calling etc. See http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/cs/west.jpg

- Jiri Kozak, Czech Committee of European Medical Association on Smoking or Health
Philip Morris recently ran a contest with L&M cigarettes. There is a condition: the participant should be 18 years of age and over*, but the leaflet directed to the youth is full of pictures with smiling young
people. The youth should collect L&M emblems from L&M cigarette packs and everybody can win the lighter from Japan (when sending 8 L&M emblems), Data bank from Germany (15), Australian bag (30),and American wrist-watch (70 emblems). The activity calls "The L&M Globe Edition" and was valid from March 26 sice June 1, 2001. The person taking part in the contest, when submitting the
cigarette packets emblems, has to write his/her age, name and address, the most favoured cigarettes, the second favoured cigarettes, the date, phone number, e-mail, and sign it. Conditions include that "the participant will agree to be in a database for one year, and to be informed in the future about new products and actions."
*A person does not have to supply proof of age. A young person could say, "I am buying cigarettes for my father." It is very easy for everybody to get cigarettes.

GEORGIA - Khatuna Doliashvili, Georgian Medical Association

• PM Company and Georgian Ministry of Education signed a memorandum in which they agreed to work together. After some time, with interference of Ministry of Health and National Tobacco Center, the agreement was canceled. Currently PM company is in alliance with the NGO “Our Future”. In summertime, there is evidence of free cigarette and lighters distribution on the seaside in the pubs and restaurants.
• BAT has anti-tobacco programs for the young population of Georgia. They initiated a "no smoking" program, which was designed by Ministry of Education, Girl Scout Organization “Dia” and Pedagogical University. The project was also stopped at the middle.
• Time by time BAT and PM are adding free cigarette advertisements to the prestigious daily newspapers. Currently they are distributing MC (Monte Carlo) calendar advertisement for the 2001-2002 years.

KENYA - Fred Odhiambo, Centre for Tobacco-Free Education and Development
Philip Morris is actively sponsoring Motor sports in Kenya. The Marlboro event is open to all the youth who love the Motor sports. See advertisement at
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/ke/marlrace.jpg

NIGER - Saouna Inoussa, SOS Tabagisme
Bolloré, manufacturer of the brands FINE and EXCELLENCE, sponsors many cultural and sporting events. For example, FINE was the number one sponsor of FIMA (an international festival of African fashion) which took place November 10-13, 2000 in Niamey. During the festival, the brand organized a huge concert of local artists that involved the free distribution of cigarettes and promotional items. EXCELLENCE sponsors traditional wrestling, the most popular sport in Niger. Most recently, the brands sponsored the national festival of youth which was celebrated in Maradi March 20-30, 2001.
TMC (Tobacco Marketing Consultants), which represents BAT (manufacturer of the brands Rothman's and London), sponsors the Nigerian Football federation. Currently they are sponsoring a sweepstakes game: buy a packet of London and get a card. Scratch the card to see if you've won a prize, e.g. a Yamaha motorcycle. This is an effective strategy in a poor country like Niger

SRI LANKA - Pamodinee Wijayanayake, Alcohol And Drugs Infomation Center
Recent concerts and sporting events sponsored by major cigarette brands - In Sri Lanka tobacco industry is a monopoly, which is run by CTC, a subsidiary of the British/American Tobacco Company. During the last one year the company has sponsored many concerts and musical events. They were:

• Benson & Hedges Shaggy Musical Concert - Here the company bought the tickets from the organizers of this concert and gave them away to youth.
• Tribal Dance (Entertainment event) - This dance was sponsored by the CTC. Here amusements such as Fire & Lights, Primeval Dance, Fiery Glower, Scorching Flames, etc. were included. At this dance gift items and cash prizes were offered among the participants. Entrance for ladies was free of charge. The gift items included T'shirts, Ties, Mugs, wrist watches, cigarette lighters, etc. with B & H symbol. Whenever one purchases a pack of cigarettes, a cigarette lighter was given free of charge . In addition to this they were enrolled as members of the tobacco company Club.
• On Valentine's Day CTC sponsored a dance at JAIC Hilton (attached to Hilton chain), Colombo. Gift items such as chocolates, cigarette lighters, etc. were offered.
  
  SPORTS
  
  
• At the cricket match held between Sri Lankans, New Zealenders and Indians in Sri Lanka recently, cigarettes were sold to youths by salesmen of CTC. They wore yellow colour suits and, caps with B & H symbols on them and carried bags with cigarettes with the same symbol. Those who purchased more than 10 cigarettes received gifts of cellular phone covers, key tags and lighters.
  
  FREE CIGARETTE DISTRIBUTION TO "UNDERAGE YOUTH
  
  
• Recently, in front of a tuition class, a group of young girls in short skirts came by and smoked. Some boys joined the girls smoking, laughing and giving the impression of having fun. They were carrying packs of cigarettes with a brand name and were wearing t'shirts with the brand's logo. Some of the students of the tuition class joined the young people. A little further up a luxury car printed on it "Be cool", "&" symbol and other logos was parked, and inside there was a man giving instructions on a cellular phone to the girls.
  
  COMPETITIONS
  
  
• A competition was once organized by the tobacco company requesting children and youth to send in their empty Bristol pkts. The gift items introduced for this competition were televisions, CD set ups, wrist watches, lighters, T'shirts, purses and pens, all marked with B & H symbols.

Essential Action
Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
P.O. Box 19405 ~ Washington, DC 20036
Tel: +1 202-387-8030 ~ Fax: +1 202-234-5176
Email: [email protected]
www.essentialaction.org/tobacco