Smoking-related ills take big toll on the poor, targeted by marketers
As a sophomore undergraduate at Stanford, I wanted to let you know that I really appreciated the article (May 21, 2008) regarding John Seffrin's presentation on the effects of tobacco.
I noticed that the article failed to address an important aspect of tobacco's effects on public health. Disparities regarding the victims of tobacco-related diseases exist. The majority of tobacco smokers come from lower socioeconomic status. This discrepancy is largely due to the facts that the poor suffer high stress levels and the poor are the main targets of tobacco marketing.
Based upon my experiences, I believe that we will only be able to address the important tobacco issues effectively when we acknowledge these disparities. Remember that we can prevent these deaths. Let's recognize the affected populations.
Alison Holliday
Class of 2010