Should Cigarette Advertising be Banned? Bradley Daniel

 Many arguments against cigarette advertising, but what should be the deciding factor?  Children?  Ads too deceitful?  But, what about the basic rights of the company?

 Companies should be allowed to advertise whatever product they want. It is the responsibility of individuals to choose if they want to use the product or not.  This is not an argument about ethics, it is one of basic rights.

Arguments Against Cigarette Advertising:  Cigarette ads are to deceitful to the customers.  The ads hide basic health information.  To stop children from becoming addicted.

Too Deceiving!  Every company attempts to deceive their audience.  Some are even more deceiving.  For example, Alcohol advertisements.

Alcohol Vs. Cigarette Ads  Both try to show the glamor and coolness of their products.  Cigarette ads don’t explicitly tell harms.  Alcohol ads don’t show what could happen.

They Hide Health Info!  Do you know the effects of smoking?  What about health facts on any other product?

To stop Children from becoming addicted  Minimum age of 18 to buy.  However, children do have the right to decide if they want to try smoking.  Children do learn about the dangers of smoking early.

The right to continue  “It may turn out that forcing people to quit smoking, restricting their access to tobacco products or information about such products, violates their basic rights that may deserve constitutional protection” (Public Affairs Quarterly).  “Despite continual subjection to claims about the "evils" of tobacco, we are being told we are too incompetent to make up our own minds about these products” (Public Affairs Quarterly).

So, should they be banned? NO!!  They have the right to advertise the way they do.  It is the individual’s responsibility to decide if they want to use the product.