Tobacco: WHY you should be skeptical
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Have you ever heard the expression- Don't Believe Everything You See...or Hear...or Read?

Well, here's WHY you should be skeptical. Tobacco ads don't tell the WHOLE truth. They're a "smoke screen" designed to cover up the fact that ALL kinds of tobacco products are BAD for people's health.

In order to make more $$$, companies used bright colors and pictures (even cartoon characters) to attract kids.

More recently, they've marketed-

"Light" (meaning lower tar & nicotine) cigarettes, suggesting that that makes them safer or easier to quit (It doesn't!) Even though the FDA recently made cigarette companies remove worlds like "light" or "mild" users familiar with the package colors still assume they are safer...when they are NOT!

Small filter less flavored cigarettes (Don't be fooled. Even though "bidis"= smaller, they produce MOIRE tar & carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.)

Bubblegum and mint flavored chewing tobacco(But sweet tastes can't cover up the serious health risks!)

Even long thing cigars packaged in classy tin cases (Would clever packaging be enough to get YOU to try something you knew was dangerous?)

The newest gimmick is "e-cigarettes" which are often made to look like real cigarettes. These electronic cigarettes are battery-operated and produce a vapor that is inhaled. Manufacturers claim they are safe because they don't actually burn. But the truth is they still contain nicotine which is HIGHLY addictive as well as a variety of toxic (that means poisonous) and cancer-causing substances. (Do we need to say more?)

Through their ads, tobacco companies try to sell the idea-

That smoking is cool....even glamorous

That EVERYONE does it (This TOTALLY isn't true. In fact, smoking for both U.S> adults & teens is down to only about 20%)

That people are really independent and grown up if they smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or use smokeless tobacco.

But the BEST way to be grown up is to make up your OWN mind and not let a big company do your thinking for you! Isn't it great that MOST teens have chosen NOT to smoke?

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