Only because the industry has been forced to concede its deception in court battles has it had to change its ways in the U.S. Let’s not forget, though, that there are other markets around the world they are focusing on, and the primary market now is Asia, where Big Tobacco has free reign to addict youth at will. Anyone familiar with the culture can attest to the prevalence of smokers in those countries.
For Paige Magness to say that the industry does not “want kids to be able to buy or use any tobacco products” is a flat-out lie, and Magness needs to be held accountable to that statement.
How else does the industry intend on selling its products — to an older, more educated demographic that is well aware of the dangers of smoking, as well as the deceptions the industry has perpetrated on the public for generations?
In his book, “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell shows how making larger, more “threatening” warning messages on tobacco products actually promotes teens to try smoking. Why? Because teens typically are drawn to try things that society says are dangerous or taboo.
Sound familiar to anyone who was a teen once?
The tobacco industry knows this and are the ones who helped draft these “changes” that were supposed to inhibit smoking among teens. Take a look at any recent tobacco ads and you’ll notice how large the warnings have become over previous years.
So when Paige Magness goes on to say that “we encourage states to enforce their laws … selling tobacco to minors,” she means it in the most sincerely ironic and, again, deceptive way.
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