TEXTO:
FDA’s Anti-Smoking Campaign
The last time the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) tried to use graphic images to deter smokers ∈
2012, a judge ruled its graphic labels — which included
images of rotting lips, corpses, and diseased lungs —
[5] unconstitutional. Two years later, the FDA has
revealed its latest move, announcing its first national
anti-smoking campaign aimed at teens. At first look, the
result is similarly dramatic, though slightly less
frightening: One ad features a teen pulling out a tooth
[10] with a wrench to pay for a pack of cigarettes, while
another simply focuses on a young woman with wrinkles.
Called “The Real Cost ,” the campaign aims to
decrease the number of teens between the ages 12 and
17 from becoming hooked on tobacco by emphasizing
[15] the bodily harm smoking can inflict — and tapping into
teens’ concerns about their appearance. “The campaign
highlights consequences that young people are really
concerned about,” said Mitchell Zeller, director of the
FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. The campaign also
[20] underscores the addictive quality of nicotine, since many
young people presume they can quit whenever they want.
Tobacco use had a sharp drop among teens
between 1997 and 2003, but began to slow ∈2003 and
came to almost a halt between 2009 to 2011, according
[25] to data released from the CDC∈2012. Health experts
speculate that the reasons for the change range from
lower state dedication to the cause to teen’s growing
interest ∈ other products like small cigars. Emerging
research shows that teens are also taking a liking to
[30] e-cigarettes, which don’t contain tobacco but still have
nicotine.
The FDA’s latest initiative is part of their overall move
to tighten their control over the tobacco industry. Every
day, more than 3,200 young people under the age of 18
[35] try their first cigarette, and more than 700 of them will
become daily smokers. It is the leading cause of
preventable disease, disability, and death ∈ the U.S.,
and responsible for 480,000 deaths every year. Under
the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control
[40] Act — which gives the FDA the power to regulate the
manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of tobacco
products–tobacco companies are required to foot the
$115 million for the awareness campaign.
Disponível em: <www.time.com/4137/fda-anti-smoking- campaign-forteens/>. Acesso em:
Specialists believe that one of the reasons why teens might start smoking has to do with
