Get Outraged

Get Outraged is a public information campaign in Massachusetts to bring attention to the tactics that the tobacco and vaping industries use to hook their next generation of customers. En Español.

Big Tobacco is Sweet Talking Our Kids: A campaign to educate parents of middle and high school aged youth about flavored tobacco products.

The New Look of Nicotine Addiction: A campaign to educate parents of middle and high school aged youth about the dangers of vape pens and e-cigarettes – that these high-tech products are harmful, that they contain nicotine which can damage a teenager’s developing brain and lead to addiction.

A third campaign, Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers. is not branded under Get Outraged, but seeks to raise awareness among middle and high school aged youth about the dangers of vape pens and e-cigarette use. Information about this campaign and links to its resources are located under the For Schools section of this website.

Different Products, Same Tactics

While cigarette smoking among youth has declined, the use of other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes has increased.

In their efforts to eventually hook kids on tobacco, the tobacco and vaping industries target young
people in Massachusetts by using three primary tactics – making products sweet, cheap, and easy to get.

Sweet

In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of flavored cigarettes because of evidence from the tobacco companies’ own documents that the tobacco industry targeted and marketed flavored cigarettes to kids. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to other tobacco products like cigars or vaping products. The tobacco and vaping industries use sweet flavoring to attract young people. They use thousands of flavors designed to appeal to kids – like chocolate, cotton candy, fruit punch, gummi bear, banana, peach, lime, and others.

Cheap

The tobacco and vaping industries price their products cheaply to encourage impulse buys by adolescents. Cheap, single priced cigars are one example of this tactic. Coupons or introductory offers on vaping starter kits are another.

Easy To Get

Tobacco and vaping products are easily available to young people online, in gas stations, corner stores, grocery stores, mini-marts, and many other types of retail stores throughout Massachusetts. Research shows that kids who shop at stores with tobacco two or more times a week are 64% more likely to start smoking than their peers who don’t. See what kids see when they walk into a store. Are you outraged? Learn what you can do to fight the tobacco industry’s influence in your community.