How much does the tobacco industry spend on advertising and promotions in the US each year?
5 billion dollars, that’s 16.5 million everyday. Their investment pays off. It’s estimated that 947 million packs of cigarettes worth $1.26 billion are sold illegally to children under 18 every year. These products generate $221 million in profits for the tobacco industry. How do they trap kids? • They pay store owners to keep tobacco products on or in front of the counter, so that they are easy for kids to get. • They pay actors, and actresses to smoke on the screen. The companies trick kids into thinking that smoking is cool and that most people light up. They want kids to think, “If so many people smoke, how can it be bad for you?” (The truth is about 24 adults out of every one hundred smoke.) • They provide kids with promotional items like lighters, hats, and shirts. (About 50% of kids who smoke, own some type of promotional item.) • Their advertisements are directed to kids and can be found everywhere….in magazines, street corners, inside stores and on their windows. (Te tobacco
