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We need to protect next generation from smoking

Posted 9/23/11

To the Editor: Over the past year you have seen billboards or read articles that address the issue of tobacco marketing in stores. The North Country has a chance to play a big part in safeguarding …

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We need to protect next generation from smoking

Posted

To the Editor:

Over the past year you have seen billboards or read articles that address the issue of tobacco marketing in stores.

The North Country has a chance to play a big part in safeguarding the health of future generations, which is why it is so important to understand why this issue has come to the front and center of the battle against the influence of big tobacco.

We have referenced studies that show tobacco advertising as a major factor in youth smoking initiation.

One study that was published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, revealed that frequent exposure to retail advertising by tobacco companies increases the likelihood that adolescents will begin smoking.

The major hurdle we face in communicating this information to the public is that most adults don’t even notice tobacco advertising in stores.

Young people do notice, and based on the results of the above-mentioned study, they are directly affected.

The success of this type of advertising is illustrated by the fact that young people who smoke use the three most heavily advertised brands.

These are also the most expensive brands!

Given the preponderance of evidence that youth are affected by this type of marketing, it is our responsibility to discuss possible ways to prevent our youth from lighting up and becoming addicted to nicotine.

We spend billions of dollars to treat tobacco related illnesses in NYS, with the majority of that money coming directly from the Medicaid system.

It is inconceivable that we would sit by and do nothing to reverse this trend when we have remedies available to us.

Steps have been taken around the world to address this issue. For example, in Iceland, Canada, and Thailand they have adopted policies requiring the covering of tobacco displays in stores open to youth.

They have all seen significant reductions in youth smoking since implementing these policies.

If these or other measures have the potential to address the problem, then we should be discussing steps we can take to empower our youth to resist this terribly destructive addiction.

Contact your state representatives and tell them that we need to protect our next generation of New Yorkers.

Benjamin Todd

St. Lawrence County Tobacco Program Coordinator