The Pros And Cons Of Tobacco Advertising

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The Government of India has wanted to start an anti-Tobacco Program by discouraging young people from smoking. The first step to achieve such program was to ban advertising from Tobacco Companies. This included the advertisement of tobacco products and sponsorship at sports and cultural events. From the ethical standpoint the government felt responsible for the wellbeing of its citizens so it had to come up with a plan or a program to discourage smoking. The government argued that Tobacco was a toxic product which caused death when consumed as the companies intended. Statistics from the World Health Organization show that tobacco consumption has caused 3 million deaths in 1990 and it is projected that the number would increase to 10 million in 2030. On the other hand those who oppose the idea felt like the government was taking away their right of free choice, since adults who consume tobacco products understood that the risks of smoking fell on them completely. Another argument in favor of the ban was the fear of governments, that companies were encouraging children and young people to smoke. That was the case for the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. They were force to remove their animated mascot from all of its advertisements as it was seen as a way of exploiting minors. To the contrary, companies argued that their target market were adults who already had the habit and that the advertisement was unlikely to influence a non-smoker. In regards to the economic factor, the

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