The Deceitful Way Big Tobacco Recruits Children

More than half of all smokers die from smoking-related illnesses. To guarantee continued profits, the tobacco industry must seek out “replacement smokers.” Exactly who are these “replacement smokers?” Big tobacco targets our children.

4 out of 5 tobacco users start by age 18. To instill a lifelong addiction, the tobacco industry invests heavily on marketing tobacco to kids.

Every year in Oklahoma, Big Tobacco spends $172 million advertising their products. They’ve adopted modern methods of reaching younger audiences through social media, concert promotions, event sponsorships and more. However, tobacco packaging remains their most effective tactic.

The power of seductive packaging is especially evident when you directly compare tobacco and vape products to candy and gum. Side by side, they can be difficult to tell apart. Both products use bright colors, shiny packaging and boast fruity flavors to appeal to the youthful eye. Big Tobacco and vape companies purposefully and shamelessly design their packaging to confuse and entice kids, preying upon their youthful curiosity and impressionable nature.

Much to Big Tobacco’s delight, this tactic is working successfully.

Can you tell tobacco products apart from candy, gum and other harmless products? Take the quiz and find out.

The more we understand about how tobacco companies recruit kids, the better prepared we’ll be to fight back. To learn more about the tobacco industry’s deceitful marketing to kids, visit StopsWithMe.com.