An Open Letter To CDC

(Update: Today, March 31, 2023, I received a response from CDC. I have appended that at the end of my own here)

It seems like there is a higher frequency of "quit smoking" ads on TV nowadays. I imagine this is because COVID 19 is primarily a respiratory affliction, and the atmosphere is right to provide motivation for those on the border. I have seen the ads before, but the frequency and the graphic content is different.?

A thought crosses my mind.?Let's take this to the hypothetical extreme. With all the programs and meds geared toward helping people quit smoking - targeting the customer to change their behavior on a product that is openly available in the market - let's imagine that the ads are highly effective and everyone in the entire world quit. It is a non-smokers' world. ?What would the cigarette manufacturers do at that time? They would need to stop production and shut down, right??

Here's my question: Why target the consumer if the product is considered harmful; why not target the manufacturer in the first place? Why go the roundabout way? ?

Why? Because the straightforward way will produce results. In the roundabout way, the public service messengers look good asking people to kick a nasty habit, knowing fully well most smokers will not quit and continue with their addiction. The manufacturers will continue to produce and profit. 3 groups of happy people; but the problem being addressed will persist.?I have seen cigarette packets in some countries that have seriously graphic pictures of diseased lungs and such on the packet itself; even these were not a deterrent for the smoker.?They have become desensitized to those graphics (very much like your tv commercials).?Shutting down the manufacturers would achieve the goal far more easily and a lot less expensively, would it not? Why are we not doing that? ?

This is yet another example of the "McDonald's across the street from Weight Watchers" syndrome; businesses that will survive forever because they feed off of each other.?Did not the World Health Organization issue new guidelines warning that processed meat products such as bacon and sausages are a cancer risk on the scale of smoking and asbestos.?Are we going to see TV ads warning people not to consume bacon and sausages??I am assuming we will not.?

There are companies like Denka, manufacturing organic and inorganic chemicals, cement, special cement additives, electronic component transfer materials and food packaging materials, which spew out carcinogenic toxicity at much higher than EPA acceptable levels (as much as 50 times higher).?Right next door is an elementary school and a primarily black neighborhood.?This area in Louisiana has the highest incidence of cancer compared to the rest of the Unites States.?Rather than regulate emissions, or shut down the facility, the authorities have indicated that it is safe for the kids and all other residents in the area. ?

There is a lot more I could put down here, but let me sum up. All I am saying is, can we use the straightforward, commonsensical way of resolving these carcinogenic issues??I would like to see a healthier world myself, and prefer actions that have results, as opposed to those that have no impact, and only serve a political/economical purpose.?Would you agree?

Response from CDC:

Dear Dr. Ahmed,

Thank you for your suggestions and questions related to tobacco prevention media campaigns and the regulation of tobacco products.

CDC does not have the authority to regulate tobacco manufacturing. Our role and how we serve the public, as defined by our congressional authorities, is to document the problem, share the best available science, educate the public, and support tobacco prevention programs through the?National Tobacco Control Program. One way CDC shares the best available science and educates the public about the harms of tobacco use is through our?Tips from Former Smokers? (Tips?)?national education campaign.

Launched in 2012, The?Tips?campaign is based on an in-depth review of research conducted in multiple U.S. states and other countries, as well as extensive campaign development research and testing. Scientific studies have shown that hard-hitting media campaigns are effective in helping people quit smoking. The?Tips?campaign is very successful; People who smoke who have seen?Tips?ads report greater intentions to quit within the next 30 days, and people who smoke who have seen the ads multiple times have even greater intentions to quit. For every $3,800 spent on the?Tips?campaign between 2012-2018,?Tips?prevented an early death.

Other federal agencies also play a role in tobacco prevention and control. With regards to regulation, in 2009,?the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act?gave the?U.S. Food and Drug Administration?broad authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution of tobacco products in the United States. You can find more information on tobacco product regulation and work FDA is doing?here. CDC works closely with FDA and other federal agencies to advance tobacco prevention and control goals.

We hope you find this information helpful. Again, thank you for contacting CDC.

Sincerely, ?

Office on Smoking and Health

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion ?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention