What do you think of a ban on advertising cigarettes?

When people ask me, “What do you think of a ban on advertising cigarettes?” my answer is very simple.
I strongly support it.

I have a son who started smoking when he was only a freshman in high school.

At first, I was very angry and disappointed.
But later, I learned the reason.
He said smoking helped him survive school life and avoid being bullied by other boys.
So as a mother, I could not simply blame him.
For him, cigarettes were almost like a shield.

The real problem is that the habit never disappeared.
Now he is already in his mid-forties, but he still smokes.

There is a Korean saying: “Habits formed at age three last until eighty.”
Sadly, that saying feels very true.

A while ago, my son suddenly sent me a message.
He said, “Mom, I’ve reduced it to about three cigarettes a day.”
I was happy to hear that, although I have not checked the result yet.

He will briefly return to Korea on June 12th, so I plan to see how he is doing then.

Because of my son, I became more interested in how governments deal with smoking.

Here in Korea, one cigarette pack costs about 4,500 won, and nearly 74 percent of that price is tax.

That means the government earns huge amounts of money from smokers.

And here comes the irony.
The government says smoking is dangerous and spends part of the tax money on anti-smoking campaigns.
It almost feels like this: first they sell the poison, and then they sell the cure.

At convenience stores, cigarette displays are still bright and attractive.
Sometimes they even look prettier than cosmetic displays.

If the government truly wants people to quit smoking, why make cigarettes look so stylish?

That is why I support banning cigarette advertising completely.

I especially like Australia’s “plain packaging” system.
All cigarette packs look ugly and dark green, and they contain horrifying pictures of real smoking diseases.

There are no cool logos or glamorous designs.
I think cigarettes should never look fashionable, especially to young people.

Teenagers are easily influenced by images, trends, and peer pressure.
My son’s story is proof of that.

Of course, banning advertisements alone will not solve everything.
But at least society should stop making smoking look attractive.

Step by step, Korea is also changing.
The warning pictures are getting stronger, and some stores are reducing flashy cigarette displays.

I hope the next generation will have fewer reasons to start smoking in the first place.