"Just because it’s smokeless doesn’t mean it’s harmless." That’s a message the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants kids to know.
The FDA is launching a new campaign called “The Real Cost,” which will feature different anti-tobacco ads. They’ll run on sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Hulu.
The ads feature teen athletes and compare smokeless tobacco to a monster that consumes you.
The FDA wants to educate teens and tell them about the dangers of using smokeless tobacco products like dip.
Medical experts claim chewing tobacco is just as dangerous as regular cigarettes. It can cause mouth and throat cancer and even heart attacks.
That hasn’t deterred teenagers from using the products though.
According to 2017 data from the FDA, more than 1,800 high schoolers in Missouri admitted to using products like dip. In Illinois, those numbers are more than 4,800.
The new ads will be seen in 20 different states, including Missouri.