FDA launches anti-smoking campaign

There’s some positive local reaction today to a new anti-smoking campaign launched this week by the FDA. The Federal Drug Administration says 90 percent of adult smokers began by age 18. Each day more than three thousand young people try their first cigarette.

The campaign focuses on the negative effects of smoking.

“We’re gonna surround our target with compelling and personally relevant messages about the health consequences of smoking and what happens when you become addicted,” Mitch Zeller of the FDA said.

One commercial shows how cigarettes, personified by a little bully enslave people by making them have to go outside to smoke no matter what they are doing, not to mention the costs. Health impacts like wrinkled skin are portrayed in a graphic way.

South Fremont high school students think TV commercials can have an impact on teens.

“Commercials for meth and stuff are so scary, it makes it so you never want to do that kind of stuff, so I think a similar campaign would definitely be beneficial,” Courtney Hildebrand said.

“It definitely made a difference with the meth campaign,” Justin Nelson said.

Idaho American Cancer Society officials say these ads will help counteract what tobacco companies do.

“The tobacco companies spend an inordinate amount of money, particularly on youth, because they need new users of their product, so that the FDA is coming out with this exciting campaign focusing on youth, we think is a really positive step,” Stacy Satterlee with the American Cancer Society in Idaho said.

Satterlee says in addition to ads, banning smoking in more places, and making it more expensive to smoke by raising cigarette taxes will also reduce the number of Idahoans who smoke.