To the Editor:

I am writing this letter due to my intense concern for the future of my town and local park. My concerns relate to Alcoa Park specifically. Although Massena's history has been nothing short of prosperous, it is now reduced to but a shadow of what it once was. The lack of industry has created a gap in the wall, now filled with the booming business of dispensaries and smoke shops. The decline of Massena due to tobacco and substance use has only worsened since the start of these businesses, which then increases the use of these substances at parks such as Alcoa. Parks, which are meant to be an escape and safe haven, are now less of a child's escape and more a breeding ground for pollution by cigarette butts and other non-degradable objects.

As a child, I personally knew of Alcoa Park as a gamble. I never knew if I would be exposed to the harmful substances being used at local parks. Although I steered clear of the risk, not everyone does. The average age of a new smoker in the U.S. is as young as 13 years old. Instead of parks serving their planned purpose, they are now a site of attraction for young smokers. In combination with the influences seen in our local parks, advertisements for smoking tobacco run at nearly 1 million dollars per hour. Now imagine if that money was used to make parks safer instead of its fatal purpose, which is simply to profit off the addiction to tobacco.

Smoking causes many preventable diseases, the most sinister being cancer. Although just because you don't smoke doesn't mean you won't be affected by secondhand smoke; my friend faced this when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He recently beat the disease after months of chemotherapy, but millions can't say the same. So as a final plea for your help, the world needs to know that they need to stop being a customer where the payment is their life.

Owen Cyrus
Massena