The Issue of Bans on Tobacco Advertisements - Essay Example

Insert Introduction The issue of bans on tobacco advertisements has become a matter of heated debate on a global scale. Tobacco advertisement bans have since been enforced in some regions of the world, more especially in developed countries. Findings show that developing countries are yet to fully embrace the idea of bans on such advertisements. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and other groups continue to relay concerns about the impacts of tobacco advertisement and agitate for more comprehensive bans as a strategy to curb smoking. Consequently, empirical literature gives evidence that such bans have indeed played a significant role in reducing tobacco consumption in regions in which it has been embraced. Further analysis indicates that advertising bans may be even more effective in the developing world (that are yet to embrace it) than they are to the developed world (York, 42). To fully appreciate the importance and relevance of such a debate, it is crucial that one understands the consequences that tobacco addiction has on our societies. Tobacco smoking is one of the most dangerous activities among adolescents and the society at large, its effects crippling. Its addiction always brings with it the desire for more powerful drugs to serve as accompaniment. This means that tobacco use in almost all cases often leads to secondary addictions to drugs such as cocaine, alcohol, marijuana and so on. Survey indicates that over 527,000 emergency room visits are recorded yearly from illicit drug use in the country alone with over 92% of such cases being tobacco smokers. Further research and analysis showing more than 75% of domestic violence cases report that one or both of the disputing parties had been under influence at the time of the altercation. Repeated of tobacco use can also alter brain function and development. Tobacco and other drugs increase the level of dopamine in the brain which triggers the feelings of pleasure which the brain remembers and demands a repeat of. Eventually the user gets an uncontrollable craving to use and suddenly, one cannot feel normal without a dose of the drug. The drug takes priority in the life of the one abusing it even over family, friends, career, health and own happiness. Tobacco addiction and general drug abuse also causes work and academic problems. The general performance of a user declines progressively as one starts to neglect class work and continually miss classes or frequently arrives late for classes. This along with the gradual brain damage may see to a once considered brilliant student/ employee with a bright future losing their way. Other impacts of tobacco addiction include reduced financial capability as all the money is channeled towards obtaining drugs and getting high. It impacts negatively on the ability of one to make money and consequently results in poor finances. One even fails to buy decent clothing or keep one’s self well groomed for a job interview, for example. It also causes a plethora of social problems such as rape, robberies and homicide. These factors render a given environment unsafe and unwelcoming. This shunning of such areas impacts on the overall desired growth of the area that is rampant for its drug activities. This consequently affects the youth who need jobs to be created for them in the end. Drug abuse also results in strained relationships with an intimate spouse, friends, parents, teachers, church members and authorities. The spirituality of a drug abuser in general is also hurt the more they indulge in this practice. The person is left feeling alone and may start harboring thoughts of suicide. Apart from death, disabilities, damages and losses from fatal road accidents, tobacco addiction can result in health problems such as HIV/ Aids and other STIs from unsafe sex, cancers of the lung and other respiratory ailments, cardiovascular conditions, abdominal pain, seizures, stroke, weakened immune status and poor hygiene-related infections. Tobacco smoke also poses risks to future pregnancies and births as it may result in birth defects such as baby being born too small or too soon, learning and behavioral problems in such babies, miscarriages, passing STIs to a baby and poor nutrition during and after pregnancy. All these may affect the health of both the mother and the child. It also reduces fertility and lowers chances of conception (York, 56). With such dire consequences on the user and the general wellbeing of the society, the means of effectively curbing tobacco use must be fully exploited and implemented with great urgency too. It is more difficult to cure one with tobacco addiction than it is to prevent them from getting addicted. Bans on tobacco adverts come in handy hence, as it is such adverts that influence one into addiction. In as much as it is true that merely banning tobacco advertising will not solve the problem as there are other factors such as the effect of the entertainment media on tobacco smoking (where several entertainment artists openly flaunt their addiction to ‘superior’ and classier brands), poor parenting, lack of knowledge on ills of tobacco addiction, poor mentoring programs, the environment and behavior of society regarding tobacco and substance abuse and the failure of religion to tackle issue and so on, it is safe to say that it is one of the most important steps that cannot be overlooked in the steps to realize gains in the war against this damaging addiction (York, 402). Supporters and sympathizers of tobacco adverts wrongly opine that there is very little connection between per capita tobacco consumption and tobacco advertising opportunities. Secondly, tobacco firms continue to deny that their marketing is targeting the youth and claim that the tobacco market is more of a predatory one where advertisements are aimed solely at tapping customers from rival firms with the promise of superior quality other than increasing the overall size of the market (York, 490). They say and attempt to give baseless pointers that indeed advertisements merely redistribute market share but does not affect overall market demand. If this were not a sheer fallacy (which it is), then it is highly likely that addiction to tobacco would have taken a considerable downturn over the years – and even been a thing of the past, like smallpox. The truth remains that day after day, a person is introduced to and gets addicted to tobacco as a result of such promotions. In addition, statistics indicate that there is a steady rise in tobacco addiction-related deaths globally annually. Ironically, the tobacco industry continues to boom even with the reported high death rates being reported among buyers. This begs the question on the people buying these products if not new ‘recruited’ addicts, seeing that dead people have no purchasing power. According to recent research regarding individuals’ (non-regular smoking adolescents aged 18 or younger) smoking behavior and exposure to advertisements, receptivity or attitudes to tobacco advertising that was conducted using the Cochrane Tobacco Group Specialized register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Sociological Abstracts, ABI Inform and contents up to August 2002, nonsmokers who were more aware of tobacco advertising or receptive to it, were more likely to have experimented with cigarettes or became smokers. These findings gave even stronger hint that indeed tobacco advertising and promotion is associated with the likelihood that adolescents will start smoking largely by influencing their attitudes (York, 512). Tobacco advertisements essentially counter and work against the strides that have been made in this war over time. Bans on tobacco adverts, therefore, are a major tool in tobacco consumption control. Government health warnings on tobacco consumption after 1963, in the United States showed a decrease in the number of smokers, suggesting that people basically do what they have been in-tuned to do. If you warn one on the dangers of addiction, they will tend to shy away from use, whereas on the other hand, glorious adverts regarding tobacco use would seem to sanitize the deadly practice and endear more to it. In addition, proven psychology has it that such advertisements remain in one’s mind even if they fail to notice it at the time. It essentially puts them at a considerable risk of trying such products when they come across them. Advertisement of tobacco creates a hierarchy of effects that work to draw potential consumers from merely reading, seeing or hearing about a brand of tobacco to remembering it, mentally processing it, believing it, retrieving it, using it to decide, and finally behaving in accordance with it (York, 829). Tobacco advertising (just like alcohol advertising), is an exclusively brand advertisement which brings with it, severe spillover effects on smoking initiation and consumption. Otherwise, without such outcomes, tobacco companies would not continue to knowingly and intentionally heavily invest on advertisements and price promotions. The plain fact is that advertisement’s purpose is to sell and grow markets. Therefore, in attempts to eradicate this tobacco menace, it is prudent to do away with such promotions especially in the mainstream media and in the internet (York, 844). Works Cited York, L. Nancy. Tobacco Control. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2012: 56, 402, 490, 512, 829, 844. Print. Read More