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Reynolds Halts Controversial Promotion

A promotion that angry critics said encouraged smoking combined with heavy drinking has been discontinued by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The promotion raised the ire of three state attorneys general, as well as public advocacy groups. Called "Drinks on Us," the promotion included mailed birthday greetings to young adults containing drink coasters, branded for Camel cigarettes, that encouraged the consumption of well-known alcohol brands including Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Kahlua, Bacardi Limón and Bailey's via recipes and slogans such as: "Layer it on. Go 'Til Daybreak," "Mix Three Shots Together Over Ice, then Make Sure You're Sittin'" and "Pour Over Ice, Then Let it Burn." The promotion began January or February of 2005 and was scheduled to end next April, said R.J. Reynolds spokesperson Maura Payne. One of the complaining attorneys general, New York's Eliot Spitzer, called the campaign "a complete abomination. Virtually every parent in America knows what it is like to anxiously wait for a child to come home from a night out with friends, worrying that someone will be drinking and driving. Now R.J. Reynolds--apparently not satisfied just selling its own deadly products--is encouraging individuals to 'celebrate' their birthdays by abusing alcohol. It is just shameful."

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