Pros And Cons Of The Ban On Tobacco Advertising

Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. According to the American Lung Association in 2009, 20.6% of adults were current smokers. In 1970, the United States banned television and radio advertisements of cigarettes. Across the world countries battle similar issues in how to help prevent deaths, lower healthcare costs, and educate the population. Countries have banned advertising, posted health causes, renamed brands, and even included informational fliers in packs of cigarettes. In 2001, The Government of India decided to ban the advertising of cigarettes. This ban was created to help the youth of India and hoped to reduce the amount of future smokers. The proposal of this restriction caused debates between the government, advertising companies, and tobacco manufacturers. The supporting and dismantling arguments for these ethical and commercial causes of the ban have enabled the government to make their final decision.

     Should tobacco advertising be restricted? This is a very controversial issue. There is the idea that young children that smoke started smoking because of advertisements, but there is also the idea that children start smoking for other reasons. Many big, well-known tobacco companies like RJ Reynolds are being sued for their advertisements. On Monday April 20th, 1998 the jury heard a testimony from Lynn Beasly, the marketing vice president of the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. The courts believed that the advertisement was directed towards children under the age of 18, due to a document from the RJ Reynolds Board of Directors showing that they set a goal to increase the company's market share among 14

Although cigarette advertisements were banned from broadcast media, including television and radio in 1971, the tobacco industry still continues to produce ads through other means but under strict restrictions. Cigarette advertising is allowed in business establishments or magazine publications that are strictly for adults over 21 years of age. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced many restrictions in 2010 on the way that tobacco can be advertised. For instance, tobacco companies can no longer sponsor sporting/entertainment events and cannot sell cigarettes in packs fewer than 20, which eliminates the “kiddie packs.” In addition, a regulation for billboard advertising is up for discussion and is being processed (Food and Drug Administration, 2014). However, the laws and strict regulations that have been passed are in conflict with the best interest of the cigarette companies.

Every year, tobacco companies spend billions of dollars on advertising and promotion. Not only that but they are causing deaths of many. They try to get people of all ages to use their product. Unfortunately, this works, after a while this causes many serious issues to the body, their addiction kicks in causing the tobacco business to flourish, and causes young deaths of many kids and adults. Overall tobacco companies are causing deaths by the tobacco use and people need to know the serious topics around this.

The intervention of the government defies one’s one will regarding health. The legalization of advertisements and the production of tobacco should go hand in

The following statistics gave a solid argument as to why the government of India was on track in banning tobacco advertisement. In 1981, the Supreme Court (of Appeal) in Belgium gave its ruling that a ban on tobacco advertising was not unconstitutional. In 1991 the French Constitutional Council declared that the French ban on advertising tobacco products was not unconstitutional as it was based on the need to protect public health and did not curtail the freedom of trade.

Companies in every industry attempt to attract consumers by creating effective marketing and advertising campaigns that appeals to various consumers and target audiences. The use of advertising can benefit a bus Banning the Advertisement of Alcohol and Tobacco Banning the Advertisement of Alcohol and Tobacco by increasing the sales of a business, providing information about new products, create brand awareness and generate customer loyalty. Although, advertising may provide business with the means to promote their products, it should not be at the cost of someone’s health. The promotion of tobacco and alcohol through advertisement aids in the development of alcohol and tobacco dependency and can create negative health issues in those who consume these products; therefore, advertising should be banned on these products.

I believe that tobacco companies should be strictly prohibited from advertising publicly using the media and magazines, because in my opinion it is unethical to sell something that marketers clearly are aware that tobacco gives many diseases and is deadly. According to the article, “Smoking & Tobacco Use,” “Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the United States each year.” Many smokers every year die from diseases related to lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases. With that being said, it is clear that tobacco companies don’t necessarily think of the ethical perspective, and only focus on the investment profit. The majority of investors only worry about making profits and suiting their needs, rather

The issue of how tobacco companies try to influence teenagers into adulthood to consume tobacco was further highlighted in a legal case in the US that resulted in a ban on certain adverts that were said to attract the young into smoking Camel cigarettes.

Tobacco has been around for centuries and consumed by people everywhere around the world. The products tobacco companies produce contain harmful chemicals and drugs to make the user stay hooked for as long as possible. Till death do us part, am I right? These companies use the ignorance of under developed countries to leech off of their wallets and create sickness without an explanation. Tobacco should not be able to advertise its products in a positive light.

The people that support the government plan on banning Tobacco Companies from advertising their product, believe state had the right to intervene in the overall interest of the citizens. They also cited the example of drugs like cocaine, which was, banned in the world over. Most of the people that support the ban believe that so far it as happened in some international countries like France, Finland and Norway, it is constitutional to ban the product from advertising.

On Feb 6, 2001 Government of India (GOI) dropped a bombshell on the tobacco Industry when it announced that it would shortly table a bill banning Tobacco Companies from advertising their products and sponsoring sports and cultural events. The objective of such a ban was to discourage adolescents from consuming tobacco products and also arm the Government with powers to launch an anti-Tobacco Program.

On February 26th, 2001 the Indian government announced they were going to enforce a ban regarding advertising their products in their country. The problem was that tobacco companies in India promote their products through every conceivable medium, including radio, television, newspapers, magazines, billboards and the internet. The government realized that most of these tobacco companies were adapting creative new ways to publicize their brands to young people.

According to World health organization –WHO (2014), tobacco keeps on killing 6,000,000 every year globally. Tobacco practice has been going on from ancient times. In ancient time, tobacco was used for smoking and chewing just as it today. But, now it’s time to stop this practice. Because today not only people are dying due to consumption of tobacco products, but also they are suffering from very serious diseases caused by it. Besides it is also carry great risk and annoying to non-smoker. In addition to serious health issue, it exerts financially toll on federal and affect the individual’s family. It is also one of the main cause to pollute the environment. While there are some obstacle to sell tobacco product such as cigarette which generate a large tax revenue, increases the GDP- Gross domestic product and many people which are associated with tobacco business but at the end consumers has to suffer from its life taking results. Due to those reasons tobacco product should be banned.

Smoking is bad as everyone knows. In order to stop this habit, governments are working on different solutions. Still there is a conflict of interest that makes a ban on advertising of tobacco a complex issue as I explain below.