Prevention Education Programme for Drug Awareness

Information on Tobacco

Direction: Read the following information carefully.

1. The first major report linking smoking with lung cancer was issued in 1964 by the U.S. Surgeon general. Since that time, more and more people have either not begun to smoke or have quit smoking. But it is extremely difficult to stop smoking because the nicotine (main chemical) in tobacco is highly addictive.
2. Most people do not smoke. According to one report, only 12 percent of teenagers and 33 percent of adults today smoke. In the United States there are an estimated 30 million former smokers.
3. Ninety percent of all cases of lung cancer happen in people who smoke cigarettes. Ninety percent of all people who get lung cancer die within five years of it being discovered.
4. Heart disease, a leading killer, is also closely connected with cigarette smoking.
5. Tobacco comes in many forms, although cigarettes are the most commonly used. Tobacco can also be chewed and smoked in pipes. Snuff is a powdered tobacco that is snorted or sniff.
6. The principal drug in tobacco is called “nicotine.” It acts as a stimulant, speeding up the heart and the central nervous system.
7. Every cigarette a person smokes takes about six minutes off his/her life.
8. Cigarette smokers often have bad breath, smelly clothes, stained teeth, and yellow fingers.
9. Cigarettes contain a number of harmful chemicals, including tar, a major source of lung cancer. There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. All tobacco cigarettes, including low-tar and filtered cigarettes, contain enough tar to be harmful.
10. Some people think that smoking cigarettes helps to calm you down. In fact, nicotine can make people jittery and nervous.
11. Although the percentage of adults who smoke has been declining in recent years, the number of teenagers who smoke has been increasing.
12. According to studies, most teenagers who smoke knows about the danger of smoking but do it anyway. They think that the long-term dangers of smoking (lung cancer, heart disease) do not apply to them. But smoking has many short-term health hazards, including shortness of breath and damage to blood circulation.
13. Only about half of the people who try to stop smoking are successful. The addiction is extremely difficult to cure.
14. When non-smokers are near people who smoke, the nonsmokers also breathe the poisonous gases. Because of this, more and more laws are being passed forbidding smoking in public places such as office buildings and restaurants.
15. In addition to getting lung cancer, smokers may develop cancer of the mouth or throat.
16. An average smoker spends approximately US365 a year on cigarettes.

Advertising Techniques Information Sheet

Direction – Be aware of the following common advertising techniques. Can you think of examples of cigarette or alcohol advertisement that use one or more of them?

Testimonial – A famous person or someone who is supposed to have had great success with the product “testifies” about the product. The person may not know anything about the product or even have used it. But people tend to try it just because this person says it’s good.

Snob appeal – The advertisement stresses that the product is the best and is costly. The idea is that it’s good because it’s expensive. If you can afford the product, you have a good taste and are probably rich.

Glamour/sex appeal – People in the ads are usually good-looking and sexy. The idea is that if you buy this product, you’ll be sexy and glamorous too.

Having fun – People in the ad are having a really good time. They look like they are happy and are enjoying each other’s company. Sometimes just one actor/model is shown (for example, lying in the sun, drinking a wine cooler), but often a whole group of people “partying” or couples are using the product. The hidden message is that if you use this product, you will have fun too.

Just plain folks – People off the street, or people “just like you,” are shown using the product. The idea is that you will trust these people because they are like you and you’ll think of them as peers instead of actors or models.

Comparison – The Company compares its product directly with another, saying it’s better.