Limit tobacco outlets

Did you know that the simple act of walking to school or even to a friend's house could be dangerous to your child's health? As always, big tobacco has its eye on new cigarette-buying customers: our children. The Federal Trade Commission reports that each year big tobacco spends $12.8 billion in the United States, more than $35 million a day, to market their deadly and addictive products. After all, they need to replace the 400,000 U.S. smokers who die each year with new, replacement customers.

New York has done a good job shielding our children from big tobacco. While most states have seen a slowing of youth smoking declines, New York's rates have continued to decline steadily. Since 1997, smoking among New York high school students decreased 58 percent from 32.9 percent in 1997 to 13.8 percent in 2007.

In New York there is one licensed tobacco retailer for every 194 children under age 18. Do we really need all of these outlets to sell tobacco products? Tobacco outlet density is significantly associated with youth smoking and illegal youth cigarette purchases. Studies show that reducing retail tobacco outlet density is likely to reduce rates of youth smoking and sales to minors.

Tobacco products should only be used and purchased by adults. We don't need tobacco being sold across the street from our schools or in the local corner store that our kids frequent. We need to take a stand to get tobacco out of our communities and make the health and well-being of our youth the priority.

Terra L. House

Carthage

The writer is Tobacco Prevention Awareness and Cessation Coalition program director.