Summary
Tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical companies (TAPs) fund
and direct powerful lobbies to influence legislation at national, state and
local levels. Corporate sponsorship is lobbying at a community level. They
affect public opinion and public policy to favor their interests and protect
their marketing.
TAPs target communities with advertising, event sponsorship,
and contributions to community organizations. Their objectives are marketing,
public relations, and influence over community discussion and public policy
regarding their products, practices, and policies.
TAPs specifically target populations which are already at
risk: Latinos, African-Americans, Native Americans, women, youth, the poor. Not
only are we all of those, they also target us specifically as LGBT. There are
precedents for some of these communities organizing against exploitation by
tobacco and alcohol companies. (See Case Studies)
- The
presence and volume of tobacco and alcohol marketing and availability
increases consumption in the exposed population.
- TAPs
seek to maximize their marketing exposure while minimizing their financial
investment.
- Through
event sponsorship and contributions to community organizations, TAPs
circumvent public policies restricting marketing of their products, for
example: the ban on television advertising of hard liquor products is
circumvented by press coverage of events sponsored by alcohol companies.
- Through
event sponsorship and contributions, TAPs seek to shape public discussion
about issues involving their products and corporate policies, silence
criticism, and influence public policy.
Tobacco
Gay and bisexual men and lesbians smoke at much higher rates
than the general population.
Gay and Bisexual Men
- 41.5%
of adult gay men smoke, compared to the CDC fiure of 28.6% for men in
general. [Stall1999]
- 35-50%
of gay men over 18 smoke versus 27% of men in the general population
[CLSP] as cited in [Weil1998]
- 48% of
self-identified gay or bisexual men in a 1992 San Francisco study smoke a
pack a day versus 27% of all men in the U.S. who smoke. [Stall1992] as
cited in [Parvin2000]
Lesbians
- 56
percent of lesbians are current or former smokers compared with 36 percent
of women in general [Dotinga2001]
- 25-40%
of lesbians over 18 smoke versus 22.5% of women in the general population
[CLSP] as cited in [Weil1998]
Alcohol
Alcohol use is greater, and remains so later in life, among
lesbians and gay men.
Gay and Bisexual Men
Lesbians
Transgender
- 27% of
transgender people self-report alcohol abuse, twice the rate found in the
general population. [Warren1999]
- 37% of
MTFs participating in a harm reduction program reported alcohol use in the
previous 30 days. [Reback1999]
Pharmaceuticals
Companies marketing HIV/AIDS drugs target our communities.
Dependence on and recreational use of prescription drugs (“pharming”) is on the
rise, especially among college-age people.
Youth
- The
1999 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 69.7 percent of
gay, lesbian and bisexual students reported drinking alcohol during a
one-month period versus 53.6 percent among heterosexual students.
[MYRBS1999]
- A 1998
study of Massachusetts adolescents found that teenagers were less likely
to use a condom if they had been drinking prior to engaging in sexual
activity. [Hingson1990] as cited in [Allen1997]
- Teens
and pre-teens account for nearly 90% of new smokers. [Cotton1990]
HIV/AIDS
Alcohol and HIV/AIDS
Alcohol use is correlated with behaviors which increase the
risk of HIV transmission. Alcohol may weaken the immune system and speed the
progression of AIDS in HIV+ people. Alcohol can interfere with HIV medications.
Tobacco and HIV/AIDS
Tobacco may weaken the immune system and speed the
progression of AIDS in HIV+ people.
- Smoking
weakens the immune system. Smokers with HIV develop AIDS more quickly than
non-smokers with HIV. [Arday1993]
Health Communication
Tobacco and alcohol marketing money to the LGBT press and
organizations have been shown to systematically reduce communication about
individual and community health consequences of these drugs, including the
association of alcohol with AIDS.
- [Kelly1995]
as cited in …
Policy
General
- 98% of
people working in coalitions to prevent, treat and reduce the harms from
substance abuse support restricting tobacco advertising. 96% support
restricting alcohol advertising. [JTO1998a]
