Utah lawmakers received a surprise in their mail this week: copies of Hustler, courtesy of founder Larry Flynt, who objects to them labeling porn a 'public health crisis'.

On April 19, the state declared pornography 'evil, degrading, addictive, harmful' and a 'public health hazard'.

The next day Flynt, 73, declared that he would send legislators copies of his magazine to show them it was 'no danger to the public, only to the repressed' - but the move has, maybe predictably, backfired, The Salt-Lake Tribune reported.

Hustlers: Larry Flynt (left), 73, is sending copies of his magazine to Utah legislators after the passed a bill in April declaring porn to be a public health hazard. He says they're just bowing to 'zealots'

Lawmakers: In this April 19 photos, Utah Governor Gary Herbert (center) signs in the bill. It doesn't enact any laws, but some are now working on new legislation. Flynt said he wants to show that porn is not harmful

The self-described 'smut peddler' told The Washington Times in April that a 1969 report by President Lyndon Johnson found no evidence of a link between explicit material and criminal behavior.

'This report has been gathering dust for over 40 years, and Utah is only dragging out this issue now to satisfy religious zealots,' he added.

But his attempts to prove the harmlessness of his product - the latest issue of which promises 'porn's sexiest siblings' have further annoyed his targets.

Sponsor: Senator Todd Weiler, who sponsored the bill, says Flint's efforts help his anti-porn cause

'I'm not sure what it's designed to accomplish, other than it probably helps my efforts more than it hurts them,' Senator Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross), who sponsored the anti-porn resolution, told The Salt-Lake Tribune.

'I do think it will rile up some of my colleagues, and not in the way Larry Flynt is hoping.'

Representative Kay Christofferson (R-Lehi), said Flynt's offering went unopened. 'I got a package that I put in the garbage here. I haven't opened it,' he explained.

'I think it's a pretty ineffective method of convincing us that we made the wrong choice on our vote. If anything, it makes me realize how desperate they are in trying to protect their turf.'

And Representative Jake Anderegg (R-Lehi) was angry that at least some of the magazines arrived at the lawmakers' homes. 'It's highly inappropriate to send to our homes where our families and kids can see it,' he said.

Evan Roosevelt, spokesman for the Flynt Management Group, said 'Our intention was not to send it to anybody's home, but rather to send it to their office.'

He added: 'Utah, in our eyes and (Flynt's) eyes, is only dragging this out to satisfy religious zealots in the state, so we wanted to remind everyone that this is not a crisis, but a political opportunity for legislators,'

Utah's legislators were overwhelmingly in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 9, which says that pornography has caused a series of societal problems that require study.

It did not enact any legal measures against porn, but Weiler is now putting together proposals for legislation on pornography.