Raging Against Big Tobacco – Targeting Our Children

The sad reality of the world we live in is that there is BIG money in Big Tobacco.  They’ve got billions of dollars to throw around in the form of advertising.  Over the last few years I think it’s safe to say that the general population is getting more in tuned to the dangers of smoking and smokeless tobacco (The “harm reduction” folks aside… but that’s another discussion all together ).   Big Tobacco knows this… and they’re turning their advertising dollars toward the youth of America.

One of our quit forum members had this to say recently:

QUOTE (Mike_Land @ Jan 20, 2013, 10:30 am)

Does anyone besides me want to fly into a rage at the tobacco companies every time they see a display at the store. I mean come on. Is the general population stupid or what? It’s obvious to me that they are targeting our children. Why else would they manufacture so many flavors of tobacco that taste like, or look like they might taste like, candy? This week I also read somewhere that the candy flavored tobaccos have higher levels of nicotine. This helps get the kids hooked in a hurry. Another thing I read is that the more “adult” flavor tobaccos like cope, or straight skoal, have lower levels of nicotine in them. This makes you want and have to buy more cans to get the amounts of nicotine your body has to have. I don’t know if this is true or not but it makes sense to me. If I were in the business of selling death I would probably use the same tactics. Don’t you think it’s time that our government , and us, call their bluff? I think the next time the tobacco officials have to testify before congress, and they will, the very first time they state that nicotine is not addictive or that they are not targeting children, they should be thrown in jail for perjury. How about we place a 200% tax or more on tobacco. Every cent of that tax should be reserved to help take care of those who have health problems from tobacco and to educate the children and the rest of the public about the dangers of smoking and chewing. At least the tax would take that particular tax burden off of the rest of us.

I wish I could find a cs that doesn’t sell chew or cigs. I would be there best customer.

Mike

I’m with Mike.  As the father of 3 boys it absolutely makes me sick that Big Tobacco is going after our kids this way.  And it’s not even as if they’re defending it!!!  Let’s face it, if they can hook a customer early in life it just makes good “business sense”.  That quite simply makes me ill to even type.  If our #1 goal it to help people break free from their addiction to smokeless tobacco, then by extension it’s our goal to screw Big Tobacco every chance we get.