Smoking is a huge problem in today's youth culture. Despite constant warnings about how dangerous smoking is, young people continue to pick up the habit. Even though it is illegal for people under the age of 18 to smoke, most tobacco companies target advertising at people under 18, with the logic that if they can get them hooked young, they will have customers for life. Sick, isn't it? Candy-flavored cigarettes and ads depicting young, beautiful people are just some of the ploys used to target teens. In Texas alone, tobacco companies spend 979 million dollars on advertising that is targeted, for the most part, at young people. With that much money, you could buy all of the advertising time at the 2005 Superbowl almost six times.
It is common knowledge that cigarettes containg the addictive agent nicotine, but did you know that they also contain things like arsenic, formaldehyde (yes, the stuff the animals you disect in science are packaged in) and rat poison?
The Food and Drug Administration has regulatory powers over products like lipstick and dog food, but does not have such power over cigarettes. There is a Bill currently in both the Senate (S. 666) and the House (H.R. 1376) that would allow the FDA to have such powers, and would also curb tobacco advertising aimed at children.
Write your Representatives and Senators. This one's important.
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