New tobacco regs, Ramsey Tobacco Coalition, and how I quit smoking
Tobacco companies will have a tougher time with their cradle-to-grave marketing strategies thanks to new regulations that go into effect today. Parts of the new regulations focus on stemming big tobacco’s efforts to hook kids.
So today I’m thrilled to announce that I will be working with Ramsey Tobacco Coalition to help educate parents and the public about tobacco marketing and children. Their mission: Reducing youth exposure to tobacco influences. That’s marketing, folks. I’ll be posting on their Facebook page and will be tweeting at @RamseyTobacco. This fall I’ll also be educating parents about the marketing techniques that tobacco companies use to get children hooked on nicotine.
For those who know me, the elephant in the room here is my own history of smoking. When I began writing about marketing and advertising directed at children in my first blog, and even when I started Parents for Ethical Marketing, I was a smoker. I never smoked in front of my kids — a delusional caveat that allowed me to continue without guilt — but I couldn’t address the issue of kids and tobacco marketing in my work, because I was a smoker.
My path to quitting was long and winding. And full of potholes and construction zones. It was a tough battle. Several things came together around the same time so that I finally had the determination to survive the nicotine cravings:
– a few simple words from Spotty one evening at Drinking Liberally;
– reading Jean Kilbourne’s Can’t Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel (truly a light bulb moment and highly recommended for women who want to quit);
– the introduction of Pink Camel No. 9 cigarettes (and a friend pointing out that my dollars supported such marketing nonsense);
– and, although it pains me to admit this: Minnesota’s statewide smoking ban.
I quit almost three years ago; I still have bad days.
And I never, ever want my daughters to start smoking. So, to big tobacco marketers: We’ve got your number. Stay away from our kids.
Here’s more on the St. Paul students from Ramsey Tobacco Coalition who were recently honored as Youth Advocates of the Year from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: