Tobacco
TobaccoBy: Jake Keith
THIS IS A PAPER REGARDING THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY (3 PAGES). The Killing Business? This paper is about the tobacco industry. Some would find that the label �killing business� is very appropriate. Others would say that that name is misleading and inaccurate. Biased, I am not. So we will look at the issue in regards to the industry from both consumer and producer points of perspective with fairness and equality in reach. With an open mind now, let�s peer closer at the aftermath tobacco has left us standing in. Something has to get a non-tobacco user to try his/her first cigarette, cigar, chew, or whatever it may be. What is that something? Tobacco ads play an important part in getting people hooked. The government has taken a step in the right direction by reducing the ways that the industry can advertise tobacco. They have limited it to written ads mostly like magazines, billboards, sponsorship (meaning that Marlboro could sponsor a racecar driver), and T-shirts. They aren�t able to advertise on television or radio in any way. This helps to steer youth away from tobacco. But is this grafting the industry�s amendment of free speech? Not when the industry is responsible for thousands of deaths each and every year. What is it that makes a tobacco-user keep on buying the product? One of the most addictive substances in the United States. The mystery matter that keeps consumers coming back for more is nicotine. Is it necessary that the industry utilize nicotine to keep customers buying? Apparently so. The industry started lowering the tar in cigarettes to create a smoother flavor. But lowering the tar also meant lowering the nicotine because this method affected both aspects. So the industry generated a new breed of tobacco plants. The nicotine levels of the new flue-cured, Y-1, and rustica tobacco plants were 6% of the plant�s body weight. Before, tobacco only had 2%-3.5% nicotine. Chewing tobacco and snuff products have always contained fiberglass in them. These flecks of glass pierced gums and lips to allow nicotine to flow into the pores making it more addictive. The industry has since made the fiberglass obsolete and replaced it with actual nicotine crystals. These crystals penetrate the gums and dissolve inside of your jaw. Basically, consumers are now getting approximately double the nicotine in smoking and smokeless tobacco than had previously. The government has passed laws that prevent youth from purchasing tobacco goods. The legal age for acquirement of tobacco is 18. Does that in itself ward away potential teen tobacco users? To a certain degree, it works very effectively. Consumers under the legal age have no way around this law. However, there are some...
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