keep spending money on it no matter what the cost or health risk. If tobacco were made illegal now, there would be a huge black market (illegal purchases) from the millions of existing addicts. The better approach is to educate, motivate and prevent people (especially youths) from starting to use tobacco. Another reason tobacco is legal is that tobacco companies spend millions of dollars yearly to influence (lobby) politicians and, therefore, influence the laws that regulate them. If tobacco products became available today for the first time, governments would certainly not permit their sale!

Project: Social activism
Have students report in letter form, their personal observations of underage smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, tobacco advertising and the price of cigarettes in their area and then express their views on how to improve tobacco control in these categories. The most worthy letters are mailed by the class to State Congressmen.

3. How do big tobacco companies try to influence you to buy their product?

Disclosures of tobacco company secret documents have revealed that these companies have extensively researched a teenager's ideal self image (e.g., sexy, sophisticated, successful, slim, popular, macho, rebellious, daring, fun loving and cool) and then spent billions in promotions and image advertising (i.e., ads which create the false image that "if I smoke I'll appear to be like that"). Tobacco companies have also paid for spots in movies where film stars smoke their products. (see Video Script pg 37, opinions and testimony of Deanna Durrett - teenager and Bill Stone-adult smoker.) (see slide i)

Project: Analyzing tobacco advertisements
Homework:
1. Find a tobacco ad in a magazine or newspaper
2. Describe the ad and state where it came from
3. Who do you think the ad is aimed at (i.e., who is the target population?)
4. How does the ad try to influence the target population to buy the product? (i.e. Using images and/or words, what do they want the target population to believe?)
5. What do you think is closer to the truth?
6. Can you draw a counter ad that is closer to the truth?
7. Document the frequency of smoking by actors and actresses in movies and describe the image it conveys. How might this affect teens and preteens?
*See CD-ROM-1 (Main Menu) for interactive exercises on analyzing tobacco ads and counter ads. These interactive exercises can be conducted in class using a computer (and computer projector for large groups).

4. How can you evaluate information on tobacco use, or for that matter any information, critically (scientifically) to decide for yourself if the information is likely to be true or false? What are the two most important questions you must answer?

You must answer the following two questions: 1) Who is the source of the information? and 2) What is the evidence for the information? (see Principles of Critical Thinking, pgs 57-59; also CD-ROM-1 Main Menu, for an audiovisual interactive presentation).