What’s the big deal about Big Tobacco?  Why should we, as today’s youth, rebel against an industry?  Need an answer?  Easy, two words:  THEY LIE!    Tobacco companies claim to be an industry that carries out a normal, responsible business.  And yet, tobacco industry products are the only legal product on the market that will kill you if used as intended by the manufacturer.   That’s right, in fact, 1 out of 2 people who smoke a pack a day will eventually die from a disease caused by tobacco.  Is that NORMAL?

So whose fault is that?  After all, it’s up to the individual to decide whether or not to use a product.  Or is it?  Big Tobacco spends BILLIONS marketing their product world wide, manipulating the consumer in any way that they can into starting a deadly habit.  And yet they claim not to market to youth.  Or that’s what they claim.  But check out the quotes below leaked from internal memos and tobacco industry documents:

 “Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer.”
–        Philip Morris Researcher, 1981

“Realistically, if our company is to survive and prosper over the long term, we must get our share of the youth market.  In my opinion, this will require new brands tailored to the youth market.”
–        RJ Reynolds Tobacco, 1976.

 Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I’m saying.”
-          U.S. Tobacco, Former UST sales representative, 1994 

Does that sound like a responsible industry?  Like a normal business?  Despite the fact that they claim to not market to kids, in their own words they make it very clear that they do, and have spent decades developing back-handed ways at manipulating us.  Well, we aren’t going to be anybody’s pawn.  Stand Strong, don’t be pushed around, and REBEL AGAINST BIG TOBACCO!

-  YETI (Youth Engaged in Tobacco-free Initiatives)