Young smokers are hooked by powerful chemicals, slick advertising, experts say
Victoria Demaria
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
|
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said "The tobacco industry has repeatedly marketed its deadly, addictive products to children as part of a broad strategy to hook the next generation of customers by portraying smoking as glamorous, cool and alluring," a Feb. 20 press release announcing its newest statistics said.
Boston University School of Public Health social and behavioral sciences professor and tobacco control researcher Michael Siegel said the tobacco industry has been tremendously successful at recruiting youth smokers.
He said companies have managed to make smoking appealing to the younger demographic despite legislative limits on tobacco marketing like the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998.
"Nicotine is a powerfully addictive chemical in cigarettes, and it is possible for youths to get addicted after just a few cigarettes," Siegel said.
A July 2006 University of Massachusetts Medical School study suggests a quarter of adolescents who try cigarettes become addicted within a month and also states even youth smoking one cigarette every few weeks can suffer withdrawal symptoms.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids website, 20.5 percent of Massachusetts high-school students smoke and go through almost 15 million packs of cigarettes each year. More than $2.7 billion is spent annually in Massachusetts for health care related to smoking, according to the state Tobacco Control Program.
Women's magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan advertise Camel No. 9 cigarettes, sold in shiny black and pink boxes, and feature promotional giveaways of pink bracelets and cellphone accessories. A Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' May 2007 study said this type of marketing specifically reaches out to teenage girls and young women.
In the past year, interest groups have lobbied for movies to receive an R-rating if they include an excessive amount of smoking. Other cigarette companies have spiced up traditional tobacco with flavors, such as mocha, berry, pineapple, to attract younger smokers.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Phil
posted 3/03/08 @ 4:32 PM EST
The public needs to become more aware of these issues and get organized to defeat big tobacco. Groups such as Tobacco-Free Kids need to be supported in their fight to keep kids away from tobacco. (Continued…)
Post a Comment