https://www.thetruth.com/
The push to end Tobacco use among the younger generation has according to Truth.org been wildly succesful and Im all for it
I think Truth.org is doing good work
Tobacco use obviously leads to substantial health issues in the short term and long term and the cost to treat Tobacco related illnesses, illnesses that are preventable are into the hundreds of billions of dolwors a year
Tobacco: The True Cost of Smoking | American Cancer Society
My question is should a similar camapign be waged against Marijuana use among younger people and if not then why not ?
I'm unsure on what the statistics are in relation to marijuana use in teens and younger and it's comparison with tobacco use.
Additionally, Truth is funded largely by the tobacco industry due to the various court cases over the years. There is no such infrastructure in place with marijuana given it's current status as a federally illegal substance. Even if it was a decent problem, I can't imagine it being anywhere near large enough to warrant spending significant tax payer funds to facilitate this. And I can't see any particular sector of the economy deciding that they, out of the goodness of their heart, will undertake a similar financial undertaking that Truth.org has undergone to make such a fight.
Finally, the biggest issue I have with cigarette use in youth is not actually the potential long term harm, but rather the addictive nature of it MIXED with that long term harm. If it was relatively easy, and if statistics backed that notion up, for teens to begin smoking tobacco in various forms at an early age and then easily and quickly cease doing so going forward, then I'd have less of a worry about it. I'd still support it being illegal for those under 18, but the issue would be much less. However, the highly addictive nature of nicotine combined with the long term health risks for tobacco use are such that it is a definite problem for kids starting up on it at a young age, especially before they're at a reasonable age to truly access the consequences. There's been no evidence that marijuana has anywhere near the same addictive properties as nicotine, which eliminates one of the big issues in the equation for me.
Furthermore, there has been for some time a strong anti-drug push throughout the youth. I remember it distinctly as I was growing up; far more than any active campaign against tobacco even.
If/when Marijauna becomes legalized, I could envision...and wouldn't have a large issue...with a similar situation happening as is the case with many other industries in the same "sin tax" style genre. A situation where the industry is required to expend a certain amount of advertising dollars in advertising about whatever risks that may be associated with it and encouraging responsible use and/or how to find help. This is similar to the alcohol industries advertising in terms of DD and drunk driving, or the gambling industries frequent presentation of information regarding gambling addiction.
But beyond that, I don't see any evidence of some kind of significant campaign that is needed, nor how such a campaign would be viable at this time.