We describe the tobacco industry’s response to the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study ASSIST. Tobacco industry documents from the University of California, San iscoLegacy Tobacco Documents Library and industry Web sites were analyzed. exisNexis and the Library of Congress’s Thomas Web site were searched for legislative history. We found that the tobacco industry considered ASSIST a major threat because of its emphasis on policy and creation of local tobacco control infrastructures. The industry mobilized resources for a wellcoordinated attack on ASSIST. Although industry executives were sometimes frustrated in their efforts, they ultimately had a chilling effect on ASSIST. his evidence suggest that tobacco control advocates should expect a vigorous response from the tobacco industry to policy advocacy efforts, particularly at the local level.

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