New “Gangnam” Cigarette Brand Markets a Deadly Product to Consumers, Youth

OAKLAND, CA – Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL) calls upon Canadian Tobacco and Global, Inc. (CT&G) to end its marketing of a new brand of cigarettes, named “Gangnam” after the upscale district in South Korea, which benefits from the popularity of the similarly-named song by famous South Korean rapper Psy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2013

Contact:
Rod Lew, Executive Director, APPEAL
(510) 318-7814
[email protected]
www.appealforcommunities.org

NEW “GANGNAM” CIGARETTE BRAND MARKETS A DEADLY PRODUCT TO CONSUMERS, YOUTH

OAKLAND, CA – Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL) calls upon Canadian Tobacco and Global, Inc. (CT&G) to end its marketing of a new brand of cigarettes, named “Gangnam” after the upscale district in South Korea, which benefits from the popularity of the similarly-named song by famous South Korean rapper Psy. “This is a blatant act of marketing to youth, particularly those of Asian descent, and to consumers across the globe,” said Rod Lew, executive director of APPEAL. “Using ‘Gangnam’ as a brand name benefits from the widespread popularity of Psy’s hit song and sidesteps Canada’s strict rules for tobacco marketing.” Canada prohibits tobacco sponsorship, restricts and regulates advertising, and requires graphic warning labels about the negative effects of smoking to appear on cigarette packs.

Highly visible industry marketing campaigns using culturally-renowned celebrities and symbols have been part of the tobacco industry’s larger strategy to appeal to youth and young adults and recruit new smokers from diverse communities. Rates of smoking in South Korea and among those of Korean ancestry in the U.S. – especially young adults aged 18-24 – are extremely high, and are a cause for major concern due to the link between smoking and cancer, strokes, and heart disease. Targeting vulnerable communities already burdened with high rates of tobacco-related disease with this new product is just another instance of established tobacco industry tactics.

APPEAL is a national organization working towards social justice and a tobacco-free Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community. APPEAL encourages smokers and families of Asian smokers in the U.S. to call the nationwide Asian Smokers’ Quitline. The Quitline offers a choice of free services in Asian languages including Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese, including one-on-one telephone counseling to quit smoking, self-help materials, referrals to local programs, and a two-week starter kit of nicotine patches.

To reach the Asian Smokers’ Quitline, call:
Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin): 1-800-838-8917
Korean: 1-800-556-5564
Vietnamese: 1-800-778-8440

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Creating Resources for a Healthy Eating and Active Living Movement for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

Recent years have seen widespread attention in the mainstream press and efforts in the public health sector to address the obesity epidemic and its critical relationships to food and physical activity. Despite this, the effects of obesity in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities are rarely, if ever, included in the larger narrative. The common myth that obesity is not a problem impacting the health and well-being of the AA and NHPI community creates barriers, making it more difficult for our communities to effectively address the issue, such as limited data collection and knowledge of the breadth of the disease burdens related to food and physical activity among AAs and NHPIs.

Recent years have seen widespread attention in the mainstream press and efforts in the public health sector to address the obesity epidemic and its critical relationships to food and physical activity. Despite this, the effects of obesity in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities are rarely, if ever, included in the larger narrative. The common myth that obesity is not a problem impacting the health and well-being of the AA and NHPI community creates barriers, making it more difficult for our communities to effectively address the issue, such as limited data collection and knowledge of the breadth of the disease burdens related to food and physical activity among AAs and NHPIs.

To fill this glaring gap, APPEAL has been building our expertise on obesity and identifying unique strategies that work in our communities. In 2009, we initiated a national network of AA and NHPI leaders engaged in healthy eating and active living (HEAL) around the country, in order to advance the broader movement of food and built environment reform, and to help inform our own approach to HEAL. Today, we support other organizations and community-led efforts to address HEAL in AA and NHPI communities through technical assistance and capacity building activities.

A recent highlight of our work is the creation of a “HEAL 101” presentation, which includes some data on obesity in AA and NHPI communities, the historical, cultural and social determinants that have influenced health as it relates to the food and built environments of our communities, and the core policy solutions that some are exploring to address these issues. The presentation was developed in consultation with our HEAL network, and has already been featured in webinars and in-person presentations. The presentation can be found on our website and is titled “Creating a Healthy Eating Active Living Movement for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders.”

Please browse the APPEAL website to access these and other technical assistance resources on healthy eating and active living, as well as tobacco control. We also encourage you to join our listserv and “like” us on Facebook to receive news and information about trainings and funding opportunities.

LAAMPP Alumni Continue to Impact Tobacco Control Policy Change in Minnesota LAAMPP Alumni Continue to Impact Tobacco Control Policy Change in Minnesota

Though the Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP Institute) runs for 18 months, LAAMPP alumni draw upon skills and connections gained through their participation in their ongoing work serving marginalized communities through tobacco control. With support from ClearWay MinnesotaSM, Vicki Sanders (a current LAAMPP consultant) organized a January 10 quarterly meeting for former alumni and other members of the LAAMPP community to network and to learn from a dynamic speech by political analyst Todd Rapp from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.

Though the Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP Institute) runs for 18 months, LAAMPP alumni draw upon skills and connections gained through their participation in their ongoing work serving marginalized communities through tobacco control. With support from ClearWay MinnesotaSM, Vicki Sanders (a current LAAMPP consultant) organized a January 10 quarterly meeting for former alumni and other members of the LAAMPP community to network and to learn from a dynamic speech by political analyst Todd Rapp from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.

Mr. Rapp stressed that change is coming from the ground up and declared that smoking and commercial tobacco is not a partisan issue, as it crosses party lines. Addressing the leaders representing cross-cultural communities, Mr. Rapp paraphrased the late Senator Paul Wellstone by stating that we need to speak our minds, adhere to our beliefs and generate solutions because, “We all do better when we all do better.” He highlighted that the tobacco industry targets poor people and people of color, and – making a direct connection to the Raise it for Health coalition– noted that while tax increases are regressive, more so are the health implications for poor people with limited access to health care.

The Raise it for Health coalition is a Minnesota-based coalition with 30 partners, including LAAMPP and ClearWay MinnesotaSM. As part of the Raise it for Health coalition, current and former LAAMPP fellows, sponsored by the Headwaters Foundation for Justice, work as Policy
Champions to educate Minnesota policymakers and community members on how commercial tobacco has a disproportionate health impact on marginalized groups in Minnesota and how raising the price of tobacco is one proven way to help reduce tobacco use.

(Note: The views, opinions and positions expressed by the speaker are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of APPEAL, LAAMPP, ClearWay MinnesotaSM, or the Headwaters Foundation for Justice.)