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Smoke shop is sending wrong message to youth, says Seaway Valley Prevention Council health education specialist

Posted 7/20/16

To the Editor: I am writing this letter in response to the new business in Canton, E=MC420. I am a prevention professional and also a mom. I am deeply concerned about the message that we are sending …

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Smoke shop is sending wrong message to youth, says Seaway Valley Prevention Council health education specialist

Posted

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the new business in Canton, E=MC420. I am a prevention professional and also a mom.

I am deeply concerned about the message that we are sending our kids and our community. This type of store promotes drug culture, addiction, and smoking.

With the current drug crisis facing the North Country establishments like E=MC420 are inappropriate and counterproductive to solving the problem.

E-cigarettes are unhealthy and a gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes, and we know that a lot of the times they are used to vaporize illegal substances as well. I am deeply disappointed in the types of establishments that are cropping up and the messages they are sending to our children.

In response to the owner’s business target being college students, the last thing that the local college population needs is a convenient way to purchase items used for drug use.

As a mom I worry about my daughter growing up in a community that normalizes recreational substance use and what that means for her future.

Amber Baines

Health Education Specialist for Seaway Valley Prevention Council