GRASSROOTS NEWSLETTER
March-April 2008
Volume 6 Number 5
As March roared in
to
“Furthermore,
youth- and parent-focused anti-tobacco advertising campaigns sponsored by the
tobacco industry have been shown to actually increase youth tobacco use. Youth
exposed to these ads are more likely to report greater intention to smoke in
the future and more positive feelings toward the tobacco industry than those
who were not exposed.”
The
Flippin students were not exposed to a tobacco prevention
presentation but a sophisticated tobacco marketing campaign. RJ Reynolds offers $5,000 to Miss
Research
has shown that tobacco marketing is actually more likely to influence youth to
start smoking than peer pressure. But by
telling youth that they really have to stand up to peer
pressure when it comes to tobacco, the message is that smoking is somehow more
popular than they realized. Portraying
tobacco use as an exclusive adult behavior again makes smoking appealing. And, again, it is implicitly false to suggest
that adults choose to start smoking. 9
out of 10 tobacco users began, and became addicted, as teens. Smoking adults are addicted and choice has
taken on a whole new challenge.
A
third aspect of ineffective industry programs is to downplay nicotine
addiction, both in the tremendous capacity for nicotine to addict and the
difficulty of quitting. So much of the
pro-tobacco policy stances take great issue with the concept of ‘choice’ yet
ignore that nicotine addiction deprives children, and the adult addicts they
become, of that liberty.
Americans for Nonsmoker’s Rights (ANR)
calls these programs one of the most “visible and hypocritical strategies of
the tobacco industry.”
One lesson to take home is that the tobacco industry is shameless and
has almost limitless resources to normalize tobacco use. The tobacco industry
has used its financial prowess to not only influence well meaning community efforts
like Miss
ANR has more insight,
“There is, however, an important instructive value
to the tobacco industry’s own “anti-tobacco” programs. We have long relied on
the tobacco industry’s own reactions to anti-tobacco strategies as a means of
assessing our own effectiveness. In other words, if the tobacco industry adopts
a given strategy, then that strategy is probably ineffective at controlling
tobacco use (or may even backfire). Conversely, if the tobacco industry aggressively
opposes an anti-tobacco effort, we have evidence that that particular strategy
is effective.”
Watching just where the tobacco
industry puts its focus is essential to an effective challenge. This explains the great concern for tobacco
funding for research and even tobacco industry support, or opposition, for
policy measures during election years.
TFMC has begun its outreach into
youth media with paid media in the school papers and focus group sessions with
the 7th and 8th graders at Bruno Pyatt. Though we were rained out for the last 8th
grade class we really look forward to a make up there and working with students
in the other schools.
Our presentation is a brief on
media literacy and understanding just how the tobacco companies manipulate
public opinion. (The unfortunate Miss
Arkansas/Flippin experience is actually a great
teaching opportunity) We also plumbed
kids for their opinion about certain tobacco free print and radio ads. Kids had the opportunity to record radio
spots for TFMC. We’ll be doing a lot of
this in the next year. Young people
interested in becoming local talent get in touch. Don’t quit your day job, but you could be a
star! Email tfmc@marioncounty.com for info.
Speaking of stars, pay attention to
Shelley and Ben Crombie’s billboard on Hwy 62E going
into Flippin.
“Families are all about the future.
Tobacco isn’t.”
Tobacco free advocates can look forward to a busy few weeks. The Arkansas Cancer Summit is up coming and
our annual visit with our colleagues in
We would also like
to invite any adults working with children and interested persons to a video
conference hosted by
Remember
we are on line at www.tobaccofreemc.com. The site is updated at least weekly so there
is always something new to help you understand why and how we challenge
tobacco. Visit us!