The Truth about Big Tobacco

What’s in a cigarette? Nicotine – addictive substance found in tobacco leaves Raises blood pressure, increases heart rate Tar – a thick, sticky dark fluid produced when tobacco burns Destroys lung tissue which makes lungs more susceptible to bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, and cancer Carbon monoxide – a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas Replaces oxygen in the blood Increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and hardening of the arteries

Pipes and Cigars Cigars: contain more nicotine and produce more tar and carbon monoxide than cigarettes. One cigar contains as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes Users have higher risk of developing cancer of lips, mouth, throat, larynx, lungs, and esophagus.

Smokeless Tobacco Tobacco that is sniffed through the nose, held in the mouth, or chewed. Also called “spit” Has been thought to be safer than cigarettes, but they are not a safe alternative. Nicotine and Carcinogens are absorbed directly into the bloodstream LEUKOPLAKIA: thickened, white, leathery-looking spots on the inside of the mouth that can develop into oral cancer

Short Term Effects of Tobacco Use Brain Chemistry: Addictive nature of nicotine causes the body to crave it more. May experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop using Respiration and Heart Rate Increase Taste buds dulled and appetite is reduced Bad breath, yellowed teeth, smelly hair, skin and clothes.

Long Term Effects of Tobacco Use Chronic Bronchitis Emphysema Lung Cancer Coronary Heart Disease Stroke Weakened Immune System

Other Consequences of Tobacco Use Costs to Society: approx. $165 billion/year Costs to Individuals: 1 pack per day = $1500 per year Legal Consequences

Every year, tobacco kills over 400,000 Americans. Death Toll Every year, tobacco kills over 400,000 Americans. That’s 1,200 a day. Tobacco companies need to replace these customers with new lifetime customers…young smokers.

Truth-Body Bags Ad

Tobacco kills more people than AIDS, drugs, murder, suicide, alcohol and car crashes combined.

Tobacco use begins at an early age Tobacco use begins at an early age. 89 percent of all smokers begin before the age of 18. Every day more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarette; and each day more than 2,000 other kids under 18 years of age become new regular, daily smokers. That's more than 750,000 new underage daily smokers each year. The tobacco industry concentrates its marketing efforts on our nation's children. They recognize that new smokers must continually be recruited to replace the nearly half-million who die annually of tobacco-related illnesses.

A Snapshot of Wisconsin

A Snapshot of Wisconsin 21% of high school students in Wisconsin are current smokers. 16,600 Wisconsin youth under the age of 18 become new daily smokers each year. 1/3 of them will die as a result.

Marlboro Man

What are the top 3 cigarette brands used by teens? Marlboro, Camel, and Newport These are also the top 3 advertised brands

Are we influenced by the media? In 2005, the five largest cigarette manufacturers spent a total of $13.11 billion – or more than $35 million a day - to promote and advertise their products.

Who is the tobacco industry targeting? Philip Morris paid $350,000 to get cigarettes featured in the James Bond movie License to Kill. www.fablevision.com/smokescreeners/movie.html As of 2006, tobacco was still depicted in three-quarters of youth rated movies and 90% of R-rated movies. www.thetruth.com “The concept is a simple one. Flanigan Enterprises is proposing a children’s video be made to advertise the Camel product…Children love cartoons and these can be incorporated into the purchasing of cartons/packets of Camel cigarettes.” RJ Reynolds 1975: www.tobaccofreedom.org

Camel No. 9 giveaways (most in hot pink) include items that appeal to girls: Colorful postcard promotions Berry-flavored lip balm Cell phone jewelry Novelty purses in pink and black Rhinestone-covered lighters "Rocker girl" wristbands

Quotes from the Tobacco Industry: “It is important to know as much as possible about teenage smoking patterns and attitudes. Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer…” 1981 Philip Morris market research report on young smokers

Testimony of a former tobacco company employee quoting an executive “We don’t smoke it. We just sell it. We reserve that for the young, the black, the poor, and the stupid.” Testimony of a former tobacco company employee quoting an executive

Tobacco companies actually went to court to fight for the right to keep tobacco advertising near high schools. They won.

Has tobacco use among teens increased or decreased in the last 10 years? It has decreased from 36% in 1997 to 22% in 2006.

Why has teen tobacco use gone down? Antismoking campaigns. Financial cost. Societal pressures. Family influence.

TRUTH PSA

Facts about Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS): Mainstream smoke vs. Sidestream smoke: Mainstream: smoke exhaled from the lungs of the user Sidestream: smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar Which is more dangerous? Smokers only inhale 15% of smoke. The other 85% lingers in the air for others to breathe.

ETS Facts continued… ETS is classified as a Group A carcinogen (the most dangerous class of cancer-causing substances) In the past decade, 30,000 non-smoking Americans died from lung cancer caused by ETS (3,000 per year)

Effects of smoke on babies Impaired fetal growth Increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, premature brith, and stillbirth Babies of smokers are 2 ½ times more likely to die of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) Increased risk of asthma, respiratory tract infections, and tonsillitis

Brain on Drugs