Breathe easy knowing you made the healthy choice. Say no to accepting funds from the commercial tobacco industry.

The aim of advertising is to lull people’s fears. Deceptive? Of course it’s deceptive. What are we going to say — ‘Buy our product, it’ll kill you’?

– Fritz Gahagan, former tobacco marketing executive

LGBTQIA+ Tobacco Use

In 2021, LBGT adults used commercial tobacco at a rate of 27.4%, as compared with their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts’ rate of 18.4%.¹

In 2022, queer high schoolers used tobacco at a rate of 21.5%, while their straight counterparts used it at a rate of 14.1%.

In the same study, queer middle schoolers used tobacco at a rate of 7.6%, while their straight counterparts used it at a rate of 3.6%.

In the same study, transgender high schoolers used tobacco at a rate of 16.6%, while their cisgender counterparts used it at a rate of 10.2%.

In the same study, transgender middle schoolers used tobacco at a rate of 9.1%, while their cisgender counterparts used it at a rate of 3.8%.²

Tobacco Use by Sexual Orientation and Identity

Adult Tobacco Use

27.4%

18.4%

High School Use: Queer

21.5%

14.1%

Middle School Use: Queer

7.6%

3.6%

High School Use: Trans

16.6%

10.2%

Middle School Use: Trans

9.1%

3.8%

Percentage of Use

Money Talks. Don’t Listen.

Commercial tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 480,000 Americans every year.³ While elected officials may claim not to be influenced by contributions, research shows that they are.⁴ There’s no such thing as free money.

LGBTQIA+ Targeting

The tobacco industry deliberately targets the LGBTQIA+ community, through extending corporate philanthropy towards queer organizations, sponsoring and marketing at pride events and queer bars, filing legal briefs in civil rights cases, and using slogans such as ”take pride in your flavor.”⁵

Poison Peddlers

Commercial tobacco is the only legal product that kills up to half of its customers when used exactly as intended.⁶ The life expectancy of smokers is at least 10 years less than non-smokers. It also drains the nation of billions of dollars each year in related costs.⁷

Replacement Smokers

E-cig and vaping products use a variety of tactics to target children that have already been outlawed for combustible tobacco products. These include 1) the use of flavors, especially those based on fruits and candy; 2) branding based on fruits and candy; and 3) cartoon images and mascots in marketing.⁸ There are even scholarships offered by E-cig and vaping companies for high school students who write essays about the positive benefits of their products!⁹

Not A Healthier Choice

Commercial tobacco companies market e-cigarettes and vaping as a healthier alternative to cigarettes. In reality, nicotine is a highly addictive toxin with harmful effects on cardiovascular health. While E-cigs and vapes may be less harmful than conventional smoking, they are still not safe, and can act as a gateway to more conventional tobacco use. In fact, the higher concentration of nicotine present in vape solutions and vapor has the potential to become even more habit-forming than combustible tobacco.¹⁰ Children and adolescents who use e-cigarettes at least double their chance of smoking cigarettes later in life.¹¹ Nicotine itself contributes to high blood pressure, and cardiovascular events are the greatest killer of tobacco users, even more so than lung cancer!

Big Spenders

The Commercial Tobacco industry spent $29,751,276 last year on lobbying in the United States alone.¹² That’s nearly $62 for every death they caused that year. They spent $8.06 billion on marketing in 2021, more than $22 million per day.¹³

Community Stories

“I started smoking at 12 years old when I stole my first menthol cigarette from my father. Smoking gave me the impression of a tough and rough exterior.” – Spike

Don’t Abandon Your Community

Tobacco and E-cig companies directly target those among us most likely to have health disparities already, prioritizing advertising to Black constituents, young constituents, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. An estimated 45,000 LGBTQIA+ people die from cancer each year.¹⁴ Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer in Americans, and it contributes to at least 11 other types of cancer.

The Real Cost of Smoking

Smoking costs the United States more than $240 billion annually in healthcare costs.¹⁵

It costs nearly $185 billion annually in lost productivity from smoking-related illnesses and health conditions.

It costs $180 billion annually in lost productivity from smoking-related premature death.¹⁶

$240 Billion

$185 Billion

$180 Billion