An OpEd by VONETTA DUDLEY

For the first time in nearly a decade, we have over one million smokers in New York City. One out of three smokers will prematurely die from smoking-related diseases.  This is alarming especially when we know that tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death.

In the Bronx, 16.1 percent of adults and 7 percent of the youth are current smokers.* Tobacco companies have been consistently targeting our youth and have labeled them as their “replacement smokers.” Tobacco companies won’t stop and will do what they have to in order for people to buy and use their products.

Most of the youth start smoking by age 18. They are overly exposed to tobacco products by what they see in local community stores and what they view from in the media. These two outlets are of easy access to our youth and are used as a way to gain their interest in their products. The tactics used such as product displays, advertisements, smoking in movies, and in YouTube videos are harming our youth and not enough information is being provided on the many dangers and harms of tobacco use and nicotine addiction. We don’t need more ways for kids and teenagers to be hooked on nicotine.

The less our youth know about tobacco use and its harmful effects the easier Big Tobacco can target them. We need to direct some of the effort towards the education and information youth receive about the harms of tobacco use and their over exposure by tobacco companies. The more smoking policies are introduced as well as the cost of tobacco products increasing the better chances we have of protecting our youth. Programs such as Reality Check of NYC Smoke-Free are helping to address these concerns and get our youth take action and speak up against Big Tobacco in their schools and communities. For more information, or to lend your support, visit our website at NYCSmokeFree.org.

Editor’s Note: Vonetta Dudley is a Bedford Park resident and part of Bronx Reality Check: Youth Engagement, and NYC Smoke Free, a program of Public Health Solutions, works to protect the health of New Yorkers through tobacco control policy, advocacy, and education.