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US launches major new anti-smoking campaign (photo)
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
The US government is launching a major new anti- smoking campaign using photographs of people who have suffered serious health problems due to the habit.
In the mid-1960s, the number of smokers in the United States reached its maximum – at that time, more than 40% of the adult population smoked. Over the last ten years, this figure has stubbornly remained at around 20%. This is significantly lower than in some European and Asian countries, but on the other hand, there are places in the world where there are far fewer tobacco lovers.
Millions of people die each year from smoking-related illnesses, many of them Americans. That's why a $54 million, three-month anti-smoking campaign is set to begin in the United States next week. Its authors hope to shock smokers and persuade impressionable teenagers to give up that first cigarette that could lead to a lifelong addiction.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, March 15, that the anti-virus ads will appear on billboards, radio and television, and social media.
Recent studies have shown that one in four high school students in the United States smokes regularly - authorities are calling it a "pediatric epidemic."
One of the adverts shows a 31-year-old man who had to have both his legs amputated because of a rare blood disorder caused by smoking. "Don't rush to get up in the morning," the caption reads.
Another banner shows people with a hole in their neck where they had to have a tracheotomy to treat cancer, which can also be caused by smoking.
The government tried to force tobacco companies to put shocking photos on both sides of cigarette packs, but a court ruled the requirement unconstitutional. Federal authorities are trying to appeal the decision, but in the meantime have decided to take their own initiative.