Tobacco Never Quits

Almost one out of every three kids in Maine will have become an addicted smoker by the time he or she has reached young adulthood. Over 25,000 Maine kids who are currently under 18 will die early from using tobacco.

Tobacco Markets Their Deadly Product to Kids

“The ability to attract new smokers and develop them into a young adult franchise is key to brand development.” –1991 Philip Morris report

Their product is addictive, deadly, and it’s sold with lies. As much as a third of all youth who experiment with smoking do so because of effective tobacco industry marketing.

According to their own internal documents, the tobacco industry uses sweet flavorings to make tobacco taste better to children.
In Maine, the total amount spent promoting tobacco is almost $70 million annually.
Youth (ages 12-17) in Maine who smoke prefer Marlboro, Camel and Newport—the three most heavily advertised brands.
A study in the American Journal of Public Health showed that adolescents who owned a tobacco promotional item and named a cigarette brand whose advertising attracted their attention were twice as likely to become established smokers than those who did neither.
A survey released in March 2006 showed that kids were more than twice as likely as adults to recall tobacco advertising. While only 28% of all adults recalled seeing a tobacco ad in the two weeks prior to the survey, 53% of kids aged 12 to 17 reported seeing tobacco ads.
A study of more than 100,000 teens found that tobacco industry ads to prevent youth smoking were mostly ineffective, in some cases doing more harm than good.
In 2006, a U.S. District Judge ruled that major tobacco companies continue to deceive the public by “recruiting new smokers (the majority of whom are under the age of 18), preventing current smokers from quitting, and thereby sustaining the industry.”

Despite More Awareness of the Dangers of Tobacco, People Still Smoke

Nationally, college-age smoking rates rose dramatically in the 1990s. Today, almost 27% of college students smoke in the U.S. The rates are higher among young adults who leave home and go straight to work – more than 37% of them smoke. “Social” smoking and cigar smoking is also on the rise for young adults.

How the Tobacco Industry Hooks New Smokers
Keep the Conversation Going

Want to Know More?

TheTruth.com is an interactive, in-your-face website that helps young adults learn the truth about Big Tobacco.

The Tobacco Industry Keeps Spending to Hook New Smokers

In 2003, cigarette companies spent $15.2 billion annually, or more than $41 million per day, on advertising and promotion. Cigarette advertising and promotional expenditures have more than doubled since 1998. In Maine, the total spent promoting tobacco is now almost $70 million annually, and dollars devoted to web sites, sponsorships and direct mail have spiked drastically.

The tobacco companies’ efforts are working: Kids are very vulnerable to the highly addictive nature of tobacco. As much as a third of all youth who experiment with smoking do so because of effective tobacco industry marketing.

They Deny and Deny, But They're Guilty

On August 17, 2006, US District Judge Gladys Kesseler issued a federal opinion in the federal government’s lawsuit against major tobacco companies. It was found that the tobacco companies (the defendants) violated civil racketeering laws, defrauded the American public by lying over decades about the health risks of tobacco, did market to children, and continue to deceive the public by “recruiting new smokers (the majority of whom are under the age of 18), preventing current smokers from quitting, and thereby sustaining the industry.”

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Keep the Conversation Going

It is important to keep the topic of addiction in the ongoing conversation with your kids. Take a look at these shocking statistics from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

More than a third of all kids who ever try smoking a cigarette become regular, daily smokers before leaving high school.
Symptoms of addiction – strong urges to smoke, anxiety and irritability, or unsuccessful attempts at quitting – can appear in young kids within weeks or only days after occasional smoking first begins, and well before daily smoking has even started.
Almost three out of every four regular smokers in high school have already tried to quit but failed.

To learn more about addiction, read the facts about youth and tobacco addiction from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

If Your Child is Smoking, You Can Help Them Quit

Call the Maine Tobacco HelpLine for information on helping teens quit at 1-800-207-1230 or view our Quit Tobacco page.