Probably Gov. LePage has not met Victoria, the poster girl for Sun Tan City, not needing her blandishments to enhance his own poor judgement when he recently vetoed LD 272, the bill by Senn. Geoff Gratwick to prohibit those younger than 18 from using tanning booths.

His action was most disappointing, but it may have helped the cause.

He stated the matter of tanning should be a parental issue, which made me wonder, and led to my visit to the Sun Tan City website.

Not only is “Vicki” knowledgable, seductive and mature, she kicks back with a glass of wine and her favorite is 15 minutes in the tanning booth. There is catchy music in the website background, clever quotes running across the screen, “Beauty is only skin deep, but getting there touches the soul”, and themes of “relax, unwind and indulge” are in a corner, often repeated.

One can learn about starting a franchise, skin care, “talk to the experts,” and so on.

A rewarding trail leads to “health consequences,” where several pages purporting to be from the medical literature cite the dermatology associations and the sunblock industry as promoting scare techniques generating unfounded fear of melanoma.

Funding of Sun Tan City is huge and extensive. Sadly, I learned that the Maine Red Claws is on a long list of sponsors headed by the Indianapolis Colts, along with very many sporting groups and cheerleaders from several colleges. Sun Tan City also builds support by generous contributions to a wide range of charities, as the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots.

Visiting a local Sun Tan City was interesting and rewarding. The attractive young woman to whom I spoke was very knowledgeable about the multiple creams, lotions and salves displayed on all walls, along with the cartoon figure, Victoria.

She was not aware of the governor’s veto, nor of any particular health risk.

When I asked about melanoma and cancer being a risk of tanning, she wisely remarked one should not tan “too much”.

With this extensive, and expensive, background, and Victoria’s appeal, along with her blog and website, it is clear they have a most impressive marketing program, one that for many seems to be irresistible.

But it is not new. With limitless funding, and unending diversions, it is a standard response to resist change. We saw this years ago with efforts by the tobacco industry to discount lung cancer. (Remember “Doctors prefer Camels” -?)

Paul LePage is said to believe parents should make decisions for their children under 18. Given perfect parents, and perfect children, that would be a very good idea.

However, in more than 50 years of medical practice I have yet to see perfection, in either child or parent. Some parents are too busy, some don’t seem to know, or care, and some cannot say no to a child’s plea. And some children might actually forge a consent.

Does the governor believe parents should decide about using tobacco or alcohol? An email to the governor with these questions led to a reply acknowledging receipt, but nothing more.

An email regarding possible health effects to Rick Kueber, CEO and co-founder of Sun Tan City, has so far had no response.

Extensive funding and clever marketing are supporting oil and coal interests, the NRA and now, it seems, the tanning industry — despite overwhelming social, environmental and medical evidence that all are contrary to the public interest.

We do need a new way of thinking.

RICHARD JENNINGS, MD, lives in Brunswick.