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Expert Voices - Patrick Reynolds -
Perhaps the most important single message I have for you today is that smoking is extremely addictive. Once you start, you may not be able to stop — ever. And the same is true for drugs and alcohol. I can’t emphasize this enough — you may not ever be able to stop, if you start smoking or chewing tobacco. How long does it take? A September 2000 study shows that one quarter of 12- to 13-year-olds who smoke as few as two or three cigarettes a day become addicted in just two weeks. Most of the rest get addicted within a few weeks more. … If you are smoking now, or experimenting with tobacco, see the school nurse -- or talk to an adult. It’s okay to talk to someone and get help. … Go to Top (or continue)
Unfortunately, many teens are not too concerned about the risk of disease later in life. But the fact is, cigarettes cause emphysema, lung cancer and heart disease. Today in the U.S., smoking causes 1 of every 5 deaths. Cigarettes kill 1,200 Americans every day — that amounts to 420,000 American deaths each year, and two to three million deaths worldwide annually. In coming decades, the World Health Organization tells us that smoking will kill 500 million people worldwide. That’s 9% of the present world population. It means that nearly 1 of every 10 people now alive on earth will die because of cigarettes! And tragically, this is entirely preventable. Let’s take a look at cigarette advertising. Would you object to being manipulated mentally? Well, tobacco ads are designed to play with your mind. In January 1998, Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman revealed some very secret memos of the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. In 1975 one executive wrote, "The Camel Brand must increase its share penetration among the 14 - 24 age group — which represent tomorrow’s cigarette business." A 1986 memo noted how the cartoon camel campaign would utilize "peer acceptance/influence" to "motivate the target audience to take up cigarettes." … Every day, 3,000 teens become newly addicted to cigarettes. The tobacco industry knows exactly what they are doing, and they spend billions every year to manipulate the unconscious minds of millions. Don’t let them manipulate you. … Remember, six out of every ten U.S. smokers started smoking before age 14. Nine of every ten smokers became addicted before reaching age 19. In other words, almost no one will start smoking after 19. Nearly all of the tobacco industry’s new customers are teens. So you — the young — are the only new recruits the tobacco companies can get. Be smart, and don’t be fooled. And remember how addicting tobacco is. … Go to Top (or continue)
If you’re a teen who believes advertising has no effect on you, consider this: a recent study demonstrated that advertising plays a greater role than peer pressure in getting teens to smoke. Another recent study shows that the three most heavily advertised brands are the same three brands most chosen by teens — Camels, Marlboros and Newport. If you smoke, which brand do you usually use? Probably, you use one of these three. Finally, a CDC study showed that from 1988 to 1998, the rate of teen smoking increased by a staggering 73%. The ad campaign featuring the cartoon Joe Camel was launched in 1988; the study says that cigarette ad campaigns which targeted the young, including Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man, contributed to this major upsurge in teen smoking. Since 1998, happily, smoking among teens has declined a bit. …
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