The Tobacco Industry Targets Youth

In New York State, the tobacco industry spends $1.1 million every day marketing its products to potential smokers. With federal regulations restricting television and print advertising, tobacco companies spend much of this budget on in-store advertising, and they have a specific target in mind: youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 18,000 public high school students living in New York City who currently smoke cigarettes, one-third will die prematurely as a direct result of smoking.