The Real Cost: The Tobacco Industry

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use causes about 6 million deaths per year: 480,000 deaths result from cigarette smoking and 41,000 deaths result from secondhand smoke exposure. Nonetheless, tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and diseases every year in the United States. In addition, companies such as The Real Cost are advertising and appealing to youth and adults all over the country in order to save lives; indeed, advertising companies spend millions of dollars on anti-tobacco use ads, but tobacco companies advertise just as much; subsequently, the conflict between the two causes tobacco companies to lack support and not be as effective as they use to be. Tobacco was first discovered
Reynolds are finding new ways to market their products since they aren’t allowed to on television or in magazines. They are using “nontraditional” advertising by paying retailers to place their products in the most visible parts of the store (Brodwin). Brodwin also identifies R.J. Reynolds using flavors like orange-mint, chocolate, and vanilla in its Camel cigarettes to increase their appeal to youth and first-time smokers. Likewise, the tobacco industries also sponsor sports teams, concerts, and public arenas. Consequently, companies like ‘The Real Cost’ have exceeded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation for achieving popular awareness levels (Duke et al.). According to Hayden, tobacco-control efforts have averted 8 million premature deaths in the United States. A study led by David Levy of Georgetown University in Washington, DC compared the difference between the life expectancy in 1964 to today; the study showed those whose lives were saved by tobacco-control efforts gained an average of 20 years of life (Hayden). “Cigarette smoking costs about $170 billion a year in U.S health care expenses” and two-thirds of those expenses are paid through Medicare or Medicaid (Preidt). Tobacco use is taking the money of taxpayers whether they smoke or not. Luckily tobacco control efforts are also being federally funded. The Tips campaign is one of the most cost-effective of all health interventions; this campaign cost $48 million and was the first federally funded national mass media anti-smoking campaign and led to 100,000 smokers quitting permanently (Preidt). Although tobacco companies are still able to make revenue the anti-tobacco efforts have proven to be effective and make a difference in the United States while saving federal