The tobacco industry loves this ruse: Show smoking as a very sociable activity, with everyone laughing and having a good time. But tobacco companies get the last laugh. They know how much adolescents want to be accepted socially, so they spend millions to show tobacco as the fast track to peer approval. Smoking in order to get attention, overcome shyness, or join in with the crowd has severe side effects—emphysema and clogged arteries, to name a few. There are far healthier ways to make friends.

• An R.J. Reynolds marketing research report stated that "given younger adult smokers' keen interest in peer acceptance/approval, it is likely that younger adult smokers would be interested in a brand which effectively addresses social acceptability and also provides the other smoking benefits they want."
• A memo discussing the marketing of Camel cigarettes stated that choosing Camel "will project an image that will enhance their acceptance among their peers."
• In 2003, cigarette companies spent $15.2 billion annually, or more than $41 million per day, on advertising and promotion. Cigarette advertising and promotional expenditures have more than doubled since 1998.

But wait, there's MORE

On August 17, 2006, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kesseler issued a federal opinion in the federal government's lawsuit against major tobacco companies. It was found that the tobacco companies (the defendants):

• violated civil racketeering laws.
• defrauded the American public by lying over decades about the health risks of tobacco.
• did market to children.
• continue to deceive the public by "recruiting new smokers (the majority of whom are under the age of 18), preventing current smokers from quitting, and thereby sustaining the industry."