Big Tobacco Strikes Again

If you've read my past posts you know how I feel about big tobacco's campaign to addict our kids to nicotine. It's appalling that despite court rulings specifically telling tobacco companies that they need to work to prevent kids from becoming smokers, they continue to manipulate the market in a manner that encourages kids to begin smoking.

Here are some specifics to help you understand the magnitude of the problem:

• A recent report indicates that "tobacco companies have secretly and significantly increased the levels of nicotine in cigarette smoke between 1998 and 2004." (See full text here). Do you realize that despite years of lawsuits and increasing regulations against the tobacco companies, they have managed to maintain total control over the content of cigarettes? This means that they can change the amount of nicotine and other addicting and poisonous additives without having to apply to any regulatory agency for approval! Think about that.

• Nicotine is a drug, just as your heart medications are drugs, and stimulants for ADHD are drugs, and your glass of wine or beer is a drug. There are additives in cigarettes such as formaldehyde, cyanide, and toluene that under any other circumstances require informed consent through a materials data safety sheet (MSDS) before use. Why is it that we regulate the content of medications and toxic products in the workplace, but not that of cigarettes? The simple answer is that the tobacco companies have managed to prevent the assignment of a regulatory agency such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee their products.

• Every day 1,500 kids become new regular smokers; tobacco companies need to maintain this new smoker rate in order to maintain profits against the loss of smokers who die every day from tobacco-related illnesses. Certain cigarette brands market themselves to potential youth smokers, including Marlboro, Newport, and Camel brands. The Massachusetts Department of Health noted in their report about increased nicotine levels in tobacco products that Kool brand by R.J. Reynolds increased their nicotine levels by 20% between 1998 and 2004. Menthol cigarettes are particularly marketed to minority smokers; I have included below a photograph of youth advertising that is targeted to these smokers.

When are we going to stop allowing the tobacco companies to control our lives? It's time we told our Congressional leaders that they must give the FDA authority over tobacco products and require tobacco companies to apply for FDA approval before they make ingredient changes in their products. We must find a way to regulate tobacco and to eventually remove it from society to prevent future illness and deaths related to tobacco use. Our kids are depending on us to protect them from this scourge.


For more information, see Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Try to Stop (for those who want to quit), or Chantix.com (Info about Chantix, the best promise medicine has to help smokers quit).

Laurie

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