Ad campaign shows smoking’s scary side

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Health officials launched a $54 million advertising campaign on Thursday depicting the health risks of smoking in gruesome detail, offering the latest salvo in the government’s campaign to deglamorize cigarette smoking. The 12-week advertising blitz, called “Tips From Former Smokers,” is an effort to counteract the estimated $10.5 billion a year spent by tobacco companies to market and promote cigarettes in the United States. “This is really a David versus Goliath fight. The tobacco industry has spent more than $100 billion on marketing and promotion. …