Tobacco companies, just like any other profitable company, advertise their product to the public. This is aimed at achieving high sales, which will in turn, increase company revenue. However, tobacco is an addictive drug that has adverse effects on human beings. Products such as cigarettes contain substances like nicotine and star which cause lung cancer and staining teeth respectively. Despite these bad effects of tobacco, tobacco products are legally sold in most countries worldwide.
Tobacco advertising is done on public media like television, newspapers and billboards. The target group of these advertisements is usually the adults who smoke or use tobacco products. However, public media is accessible to the whole population that can access it. This implies that even kids are exposed to these advertisements. Tobacco companies claim that their advertisements are not targeted at getting children to smoke. However, it is important to know that tobacco companies make advertisements in order to maximize sales and profits.
A recent feature on CNN about adolescent health, smoking and parenting, revealed the findings of a research that show effects of tobacco advertisements. It was found out that most people start smoking their teenage years. The study done in Germany revealed that teens and kids who are exposed to cigarette advertisements are more likely to start smoking compared to those who are not exposed. The study, which included other products like candy and phones, showed that young people are influenced highly by advertisements. In real sense, the tobacco companies make these advertisements to woo the people who are not smoking to start smoking. Most of the people who start smoking are teens.
Cigarettes expose the smokers to toxic substances such as benzene, cyanide, acetylene, formaldehyde, carbon ii oxide and ammonia. These substances have adverse effects on the human body. Despite the fact that tobacco companies give a warning of these effects on the advertisement, the public will still be influenced, most of whom are kids. Therefore, the claim that tobacco advertisements are not aimed at children is not true. Tobacco advertisements should be banned in order to stop the increasing number of smokers, and most important stop children from starting to smoke.
References
Curley, A. J. (2011, January 17). CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2012, from CNN Health: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/17/teens-who-saw-tobacco-ads-more-likely-to-smoke/
Elders, M. J. (1997). Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General (illustrated ed.). Darby: DIANE Publishing.
