The Pros And Cons Of Anti-Smoking Campaigns

Anti-smoking campaigns are made to inform everyone of the harms of smoking. Although they can be a bit morbid, they have made an impact on my life to not begin smoking. The main goals for anti-smoking campaigns are to discourage the idea of smoking in each individual’s mind. “Anti-tobacco media campaigns, often called counter-advertising campaigns, were originally aimed at countering the effects of tobacco advertising by cigarette manufacturers” (Friend, Levyl). Recently a research journalist has shown that “Research also has examined which anti-smoking advertising characteristics are most strongly related to decreased pro-tobacco beliefs, attitudes, and actual smoking behaviors” (Balch, Clegg-Smith, Emery, et al). Certain anti-smoking advertisers …show more content…
One of the attempts to decrease the rate of smoking is raising cigarette taxes. Some opponents note that a tobacco tax increase would be regressive. “They point out that low-income people have higher smoking rates: 29 percent of poor adults smoke, compared to 18 percent of non-poor adults” (CBPP). The reasoning for the rising of cigarette prices is because researchers say that more poor people smoke than rich people. Therefore, it makes it harder for those people to buy cigarettes, which lowers the rates of smoking. With the higher prices the smoking the lower income people reduce their cigarette consumption. Also, your everyday averaged people don’t want to pay more for cigarettes, they are already expensive as it is. Another example to help drop the rate of smoking are the laws that have been placed by the government. The federal cigarette labeling and advertising act is a law that states that if someone advertises cigarettes that it must have a health warning on the cigarette packet, Requires Federal Trade Commission to submit an annual report to Congress on tobacco industry advertising and labeling practices, and Requires Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to submit annual report to Congress on health consequences of smoking which was created in 1965. In 1986 the government created another act, saying you must have three rotating health warning labels on smokeless tobacco packages and advertisements, Prohibits smokeless tobacco advertising on television and radio, requires Department of Health and Human Services to publish a report every two years to Congress on smokeless tobacco, Requires Federal Trade Commission to report annually to Congress on smokeless tobacco sales, advertising, and marketing, and Requires smokeless industry to submit confidential list of additives and nicotine content in smokeless tobacco products. All these laws and acts are to keep the