Trying to Prevent Tobacco Use

On Tuesday, February 4, 2014 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will announce the launch of its first national public education campaign to prevent youth tobacco use.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths each year. Nearly 90 percent of established adult smokers smoked their first cigarette by age 18, making early intervention critical. And each day, more than 3,200 youth in the United States try their first cigarette and more than 700 teens become daily smokers.

The campaign, an unprecedented effort for the FDA, uses visually compelling and personally relevant ads to educate youth about the dangers of tobacco use and encourage them to be tobacco free.