by Katherine Dowling

About the author: Katherine Dowling is a family physician at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

The ad shows a vibrant young woman at the beach, arm in arm with a handsome man, and the small disclaimer to the left of the photo reads that the product may cause all sorts of damage to oneself and one’s offspring. Do you believe for a moment that this cigarette ad seeks to discourage smoking among adolescents"

Cigarette ads can easily be compared to condom ads. The silent message for teens is that such products are available to the sophisticated and that if you’re not using them, somehow you’re just not “with it.” If we truly wanted to discourage an activity, be...