Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it has launched a new public education campaign that seeks to prevent and decrease the use of tobacco among young adults who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).
The targeted audience is the LGBT young adults from the age of 18 to 24 years old. There are approximately two million LGBT American young adults; over 800,000 of them smoke sometimes.
“We know LGBT young adults in this country are nearly twice as likely to use tobacco as other young adults,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said. “We want LGBT young adults to know that there is no safe amount of smoking. Even an occasional cigarette can have serious health implications and lead to addiction.”
The campaign targets social or occasional smokers within the LGBT community. If successful, the campaign will prevent diseases related to tobacco and save countless lives within the LGBT community.
“‘This Free Life’ is designed to challenge the perception that tobacco use is a necessary part of LGBT culture,” Dr. Richard Wolitski, acting director of HHS’ Office for HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, said. “The campaign shows LGBT young adults they can be the person they want to be and still live tobacco free.”
