The Impact of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising on the Latino Community as a Civil Rights Issue

The impact of alcohol and tobacco advertising on the Latino community is a health issue, and as this paper will discuss, also a civil rights issue. Tobacco and alcohol use have not always been viewed in this way. For example, during the Prohibition Era of the 1920's, alcohol abuse was considered a moral issue.' Attitudes in this country towards cigarette smoking have also changed. During the second half of the 20th Century, cigarette smoking evolved into a public health issue as the public was informed of its highly addictive nature and serious health consequences.2 Public policy changed through laws that now regulate alcohol and tobacco companies, particularly in the context of advertising.3 These new laws have positively influenced public attitudes and public health, and generally speaking, since the enactment of these laws, the United States has seen a decline in the rates of smoking and alcohol abuse. Nevertheless, companies continue to advertise and promote alcohol and tobacco through methods that these laws intend to curtail. Worst of all, alcohol and tobacco advertising is increasingly being directed at the young and growing Latino population. Aggressive marketing campaigns recently launched by U.S. beer companies through Spanish-language television networks are one example of how laws that