In Florida, Big Tobacco spends more than $700 million in marketing.
Why so much? They see it as an investment to help replace the people
that die from smoking... 1,200 people a day.
And guess who they're trying to replace them with?
Teens. Or as one tobacco executive calls them,
"replacement smokers".
current smokers
started in their teens.
And they're good at getting them.
Most of them believing they
would never become addicted.
Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT)
SWAT is Florida's statewide youth organization working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. They are a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco free future. There's a group of people on one side selling a product (cigarettes, cigars, hookah, chewing tobacco and more) that some teens are using. Those products are highly addictive and many teens that begin using them are never able to quit. On the other side, groups like SWAT and Tobacco Free Florida, are working to make sure as many teens as possible never start using tobacco.