http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7475259.stm

They’re back and ready to take over the 3^rd world. Who you might ask who would target the most vulnerable, disease-ridden, war torn parts of the world in hopes to find a new market to target? Well Big Tobacco of course! You’d be hard pressed to find Camel sponsoring the new Faint tour or kiosking at the hottest club openings, but take a trip out to Nigeria and billboards scrape the sides of venues, whose shows are usually without age discrimination.

Youth culture has always been susceptible to the pressures of big business trying to sway this moldable market to buy their products. As a whole, our demographic is one of the most attractive; we have a large disposable income, lack of real life financial responsibilities, and are impressionable to the point that the products we buy today we will stay loyal to in the future. Due to heavy legislation and regulatory statutes by our government, US teens and young adults have been “protected” from the heavy-handed tactics of big tobacco. In recent years smoking has become almost taboo, and at the very least inaccessible in most public areas. Though as a young person living in America I have a bone or two to pick with the feds, they’ve done a moderately, good job on overhauling underage access to tobacco as well as keeping Big Tobacco’s sleazy marketing tactics away from our “fragile” eyes. This unfortunately is not the case when we research the youth market abroad.

In the US it is illegal to sell cigarettes individually if not contained in their original packaging, but in places like Nigeria this is standard practice. By selling cigs individually, stores make more money, and kids have an easier time paying for just one. In the US Big Tobacco is not allowed to have billboards of any kind, promote their products in magazines that target a specific youth market, and are unable to outwardly promote their products through large events where youth are the target venue. Check out a concert in Africa or East Asia and you just might see Big Tobacco’s logos posted on the entrance. As a culture I believe we’ve taken a big stand against the man and Big Tobacco, but with every action there’s a reaction. Big Tobacco has found a new, fresh, and willing market for its products, without a push from countries like the US, and organizations dedicated toward universal health and prosperity the world will see a greater epidemic of addicted or dead persons at the hands of tobacco products. Its awareness people, let’s take action!