Do all tobacco products contain nicotine?
Straight Fact
Yes.
Unfiltered Answer
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), all tobacco products contain nicotine and are addictive.[1]
Is hookah safer for you than cigarettes?
Straight Fact
Smoking hookah has many of the same health effects as smoking cigarettes.
Unfiltered Answer
Smoke from hookah can cause cancer of the mouth, lungs, bladder and more.[2] And since hookah is often done in group settings for long sessions, it can be even more harmful than cigarettes.
Is secondhand smoke harmful?
Straight Fact
Yes.
Unfiltered Answer
Secondhand smoke is known to cause many negative effects. It is also one of the most dangerous forms of tobacco-related issues for children and teens.[3]
Why do vapes and tobacco products have so many flavors?
Straight Fact
More flavors means more ways to get people addicted.
Unfiltered Answer
It’s proven that flavored tobacco often contains more nicotine.[4] Since younger people tend to use products that are sweet, menthol or fruit flavored, tobacco companies create products designed to get young people addicted.
Do tobacco companies really try to get teens addicted to their products?
Straight Fact
Yes. They do a lot of things to get teens to try their addictive products.
Unfiltered Answer
“Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens… The smoking patterns of teenagers are particularly important to Philip Morris.” – Tobacco Company Executive[6]
Tobacco companies know that targeting youth is the best way to increase the number of lifelong customers. Because their brains are still developing, young people are able to learn and memorize things quickly. This means they are more likely to get addicted than adults—and tobacco companies know this.[5] These companies use sweet and fruity flavors to make it easier and more appealing to teens start using vapes.[10] And since nicotine is so addictive, they are usually a customer for life.
Tobacco companies have used the same advertising tactics over the years—because they work.[9] They use beautiful women and cool men in their ads to promise you the ideal lifestyle if you use their products.[7] They also sponsor big events like music festivals and work with social media influencers to target teens.[10]
They also know what’s important to your generation, and claim their products align with those values. A common trend is “greenwashing” their products to make them appear environmentally friendly or healthier, when in reality, these products are the opposite.[8]
Tobacco companies also contradict their values. Philip Morris International, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, established the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World in 2017. Its mission is to end smoking in this generation but it was created by one of the largest tobacco companies in the world. It funds research on alternatives to smoking such as vaping. However these alternative products still contain nicotine, are addictive, harmful, and made by Philip Morris—with the potential to generate enormous profits for the company.