The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new wave of anti-smoking advertisements Thursday in a continuation of its successful 2012 campaign.
These ads work, said Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC, according to US News and World Report.
"They save lives and they save money," he said. "Today and every day this year, more than 1,200 people will be killed by tobacco, and today and throughout this year 8 million people are living with disease, disability and disfigurement caused by tobacco -- that's the reality."
Characters introduced the last campaign return in a series of new videos and billboards that will appear for a 12-week run starting April 1.
One add features a woman called Tiffany, whose mother dies of lung cancer when she was 16 and claims to have quit smoking so that her own daughter, who just turned 16, would not have to grow up without a mother.
Another features the return of Terri, a somewhat iconic figure in the anti-smoking campaign because the distinct voice modulator installed on her throat as a result of a laryngecotomy related to cancer caused by smoking.
"Tobacco companies spend $8.5 billion a year -- nearly $1 million every hour -- to market their deadly and addictive products, often in ways that entice kids," said Matthew Myers, president fo the Campaing for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The CDC's campaign tells the harsh truth about how devastating and unglamorous cigarette smoking truly is."