Another anti smoking campaign launched

alleepally

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2005/03/29/story195709.html

These campaigns don't work if the number of teens I see smoking is anything to go by.

All the smoking prevention organisations should read "Tipping Poing" by Malcolm Gladwell. In it, he puts forward the proposition that the reason young people start smoking is that someone in their life they look up to smokes. It might be a film star, a girl or boy they fancy, someone exotic etc. They associate smoking with rebellion and being cool.

But the most interesting part of the book is why do some teenagers continue to smoke and increase their habit while others just 'chip away'. 'Chippers' as he calls them, are those that can go months without smoking and then 'binge' and never feel the need to constantly light up to feed the nicotine habit.

He says that this is down to the amount of Nicotine in cigarettes and if governments are serious about cutting down on smoking, they should look at greatly reducing the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes.

If this were to happen tomorrow, any new smokers would never gain a sufficient amount of nicotine in their system to become addicted and therefore the experimental phase would be just that, a phase that never develops any further.

Perhaps there is nothing new in this line of thinking but it was certainly a new way of thinking to me and I found it made utter sense.

It's a great book and covers a multitude of topics about how ideas and products reach a mass market.

Eoin

alleepally wrote:

He says that this is down to the amount of Nicotine in cigarettes and if governments are serious about cutting down on smoking, they should look at greatly reducing the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes.

The only problem is that existing smokers may then have to smoke an awful lot more cigarettes to get their fix.

flogen

alleepally wrote:

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2005/03/29/story195709.html

These campaigns don't work if the number of teens I see smoking is anything to go by.

All the smoking prevention organisations should read "Tipping Poing" by Malcolm Gladwell. In it, he puts forward the proposition that the reason young people start smoking is that someone in their life they look up to smokes. It might be a film star, a girl or boy they fancy, someone exotic etc. They associate smoking with rebellion and being cool.

But the most interesting part of the book is why do some teenagers continue to smoke and increase their habit while others just 'chip away'. 'Chippers' as he calls them, are those that can go months without smoking and then 'binge' and never feel the need to constantly light up to feed the nicotine habit.

He says that this is down to the amount of Nicotine in cigarettes and if governments are serious about cutting down on smoking, they should look at greatly reducing the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes.

If this were to happen tomorrow, any new smokers would never gain a sufficient amount of nicotine in their system to become addicted and therefore the experimental phase would be just that, a phase that never develops any further.

Perhaps there is nothing new in this line of thinking but it was certainly a new way of thinking to me and I found it made utter sense.

It's a great book and covers a multitude of topics about how ideas and products reach a mass market.

But wouldn't that have a negative effect on existing smokers, basically cutting off the source of their addiction? If that's the case why not just ban cigarettes altogether?
The fact is many people are going to do the opposite of what they're told no matter what, I'd love to see cigarettes banned but its not going to happen any time soon and I wouldn't push for it either. If someone is happy to smoke (and once they are having as little an effect on others as possible) then let them. All the government should do is educate them of the dangers in smoking and hope they cop on to themselves.

flogen