HARTFORD , Conn., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Eight states have filed a lawsuit this week against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco over its advertising spread in the 40th Anniversary issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
The state attorneys general say the nine-page ad uses cartoons and other "youth-targeted" imagery to promote Camel brand cigarettes, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Tuesday.
"RJR is blatantly violating its own commitment to stop such slick pitches using cartoon characters and logos," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement.
He said the Rolling Stone advertising spread is just one of the most recent examples of the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based company violating an agreement reached in 1998 on the marketing of tobacco products to youths, the newspaper said.
Blumenthal is seeking civil penalties and payments for ads and other anti-smoking programs to counteract the Rolling Stone ad campaign.
