Stubbed out!Joe Camel Joe Camel (officially Old Joe) was the advertising mascot for Camel cigarettes from late 1987 to July 12, 1997, appearing in magazine advertisements, billboards, and other print media. has gone up in smoke! The controversial cigarette icon puffed his last butt last summer after tobacco companies and state officials agreed to forbid the use of human models and cartoon characters in cigarette ads. Anti-smoking activists claimed Joe Camel enticed children to smoke.But the most amazing part of the historic deal (which, at press time, was under review by Congress) is that tobacco executives conceded cigarettes can harm smokers. What made them fess up Verb 1. fess up - admit or acknowledge a wrongdoing or error; "the writer of the anonymous letter owned up after they identified his handwriting" make a clean breast of, own up ? One reason was Jeffrey Wigand Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (IPA: /ˈwaɪgænd/) (born December 17, 1942, New York City) was Vice President of Research and Development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky and currently resides in Mt. , a scientist and former tobacco executive. brigand had testified that the cigarette company he once worked for hid evidence that nicotine, an oily liquid produced by tobacco leaves, can be addictive. Nicotine acts like morphine and codeine codeine (kō`dēn), alkaloid found in opium. It is a narcotic whose effects, though less potent, resemble those of morphine. An effective cough suppressant, it is mainly used in cough medicines. Like other narcotics, codeine is addictive. , explains Doug Jorenby of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. It stimulates the brain to produce dopamine dopamine (dōp`əmēn), one of the intermediate substances in the biosynthesis of epinephrine and norepinephrine. See catecholamine. dopamine One of the catecholamines, widely distributed in the central nervous system. , one of the body's "feel good" chemicals. Dopamine creates a "high" that keeps smokers puffing pack after pack. (See "Feeling Blue?" on p. 12, for more about brain chemistry.) The agreement between tobacco companies and state officials would gradually reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes. It would also force tobacco companies to spend millions of dollars promoting anti-smoking programs aimed at teens. Why so much attention to teen smoking? Studies show that 80 percent of smokers take their first puff before their 18th birthday. Each day, 6,000 teenagers in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. light up their first cigarette, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And teen smoking is on the rise. RELATED ARTICLE: FAST FACT One cigarettes contains from 7 to 9 milligrams of nicotine. If taken all at once, 60 milligrams of nicotine can kill an adult. FAST FACT Every day, about 1,160 people die from smoking-related diseases. That's the same as three jumbo jets crashing with no survivors. FAST FACT Cigarette smoke contains more than 3,600 different chemicals, including 43 identified carcinogens Carcinogens Substances in the environment that cause cancer, presumably by inducing mutations, with prolonged exposure. Mentioned in: Colon Cancer, Rectal Cancer , or cancer-causing agents. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion