We’re About to See an Influx of Anti-Smoking Ads, Courtesy of Big Tobacco

Big Tobacco has been trying to muddy the waters since the first studies linking smoking to cancer came out. Now, get ready for a breath of fresh air: Ads detailing the dangers of cigarettes—paid for by tobacco companies—are hitting the airwaves and the newspapers.

It’s been a long time coming. A federal judge ruled in 2006 that tobacco companies must pay for ads that admitted wrongdoing after losing a racketeering suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

But the companies—Altria, R.J. Reynolds, Lorillard and Philip Morris U.S.A.—drew out the appeals process for 11 years, winning concessions that ultimately weakened the spirit of the ruling. For example, the companies do not have to admit they lied deliberately to mislead the public about smoking’s dangers.

What You’ll See (and Hear)

The ads themselves are, well, a little bizarre. Vox has posted an example of one of the television ads. In it, a robotic female voice reads a 40-second script detailing facts and statistics that show the deadliness of cigarettes, including:

• Smoking kills 1,200 Americans a day
• Smoking kills more than murder, AIDS, suicide, drug overdose, alcohol and car crashes combined.
• Smoking causes low birth rate

The TV ad also list a small selection of the types of cancer smoking is known to cause, such as mouth, pancreatic and various types of lung cancers. Other TV ads will detail the perils of secondhand smoke and low-tar or light cigarettes.

The newspaper ads are in “tombstone” style, i.e., plain text on a plain background.

Smoking and the Lungs

Smoking is the top preventable cause of death in the U.S., responsible for about 480,000 deaths per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says smokers’ average life expectancy is 10 years lower than nonsmokers’, and smoking costs the U.S. $300 billion per year, in both direct medical care and loss of productivity.

Smoking plays havoc with the entire body. Lung cancer is what most people think of when it comes to the health hazards of smoking, but they go far beyond lung cancer. Smoking can also cause emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis and asthma flare-ups, and that’s just in the lungs.

Cancer and More

Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body, including:

• Bladder
• Blood
• Cervix
• Colon and rectum
• Esophagus
• Kidney
• Larynx
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Stomach
• Trachea

It’s also a main risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

What You Can Do

If you’re a smoker, quit today. Check out smokefree.gov for resources on how to quit.