Earlier this Tuesday, the government agency announced the next phase of its $128 million ” Fresh Empire ” anti-smoking campaign, which formally began earlier this May in North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia.
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During a media call, Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, commented that Fresh Empire does not address electronic cigarettes directly because the FDA does not have regulatory authority over the products.
“We know from our research that remaining in control is an important pillar of hip-hop culture”.
Amy Lukowski, Clinical Director of the Colorado Quitline operated by National Jewish Health, said of the campaign, “The message is empowerment”.
“Because smoking represents a loss of control, tobacco use innately conflicts with the authentic hip-hop lifestyle”, said Zeller.
The targeted youth audience is a bit more particular than the FDA first believed.
That’s the goal of a new ad campaign from the Food and Drug Administration, which aims to embrace the attitude and style of “hip-hop culture” in an effort to dissuade young African Americans, Hispanics and other minority teenagers from smoking.
Later, it was revealed that the decision to use hip hop for outreach was to influence certain racial groups who are more likely to smoke cigarettes than other races. The ads will debut nationally during the BET Hip-Hop Awards, which are scheduled for october. 13.
“It is vital to reduce the number of youth who become regular smokers to improve the health of the nation for this and future generations”, said Jonca Bull, MD, FDA assistant commissioner for minority health in a press briefing.
“The “Fresh Empire” campaign underscores that important message to hip-hop youth, empowering this at-risk peer crowd to live tobacco-free”.
The Food and Drug Administration appears to have the upper hand in their fight against tobacco use, as the “Truth” campaign will cost them absolutely nothing. The FDA considers this campaign not only necessary but vital. The FDA has also stated that tobacco use starts during adolescence which could lead to tobacco addiction.
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The new campaign will roll out next week in 36 markets throughout the USA and continue for at least 2 years.
