GENESEO — Livingston Youth at Goodwill have seen enough marketing from the tobacco industry, so they decided to participate in Kick Butts Day by joining other youth across New York State to stand up against big tobacco.
Chase, 13, said, “I don’t want my friends to ever smoke cigarettes. Everyone knows it’s bad for you and it’s wrong that tobacco companies try to get kids addicted.”
In New York State, 107,000 high school students smoke each year and 22,000 kids under 18 become new daily smokers. According to the Surgeon General’s 2012 report Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults, youth tobacco use is a “pediatric epidemic” and is caused, in part, by tobacco industry marketing.
Retailer stores in New York display an average of 32 square feet of tobacco products or the equivalent of more than 200 cigarette pack faces. In New York, 82% of retailers dedicate at least half of the space behind the checkout counter to brightly colored tobacco displays.
Kick Butts Day, organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, is a national day of activism that empowers youth. There were more than 1,000 events in schools and communities across the United States and around the world.
Since nearly all adults started smoking before the age of 18, parents and community members must be aware of the impact of all this point of sale marketing and take steps to protect our youth,” said Susan Bell, community advocate. “It’s our community and our kids we want to protect.”
For more information about the harmful effects of tobacco marketing at the point of sale, visit www.seenenoughtobacco.org or contact the Tobacco Action Partnership of Livingston County at 243-7299.