We Want Our Change.

Over 130 teens came together in Buffalo to send a clear message: They have seen enough in-store tobacco marketing, and they want their change. Recruiting replacement smokers, also known as kids, is a building block for big tobacco’s marketing strategy. Recent surveys have shown kids are consistently targeted by flashy cigarette advertising in local stores.
On August 11, 2011, Reality Check youth from across New York State rallied together to send the message that dangerous tobacco marketing should be removed from stores where kids shop. The more in-store advertising they see, the more likely they are to smoke. Communities are eager to protect kids from dangerous influences. Curbing flashy advertising and large tobacco displays whenever they walk into their local convenience store is an important step.
Research in the U.S. and abroad suggests that exposure to in-store tobacco promotions is a primary cause of youth smoking. Very few adult smokers begin after high school, with 90 percent of adult smokers starting at or before age 18.
In-store promotions are a major cause of youth smoking. A National Cancer Institute study concluded that exposure to cigarette advertising causes nonsmoking adolescents to initiate smoking and to move toward becoming regular smokers. Another study found young people are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer or parental smoking. A 2008 analysis found a direct relationship between increased teen smoking and the density of tobacco retailers around schools, while a paper published earlier this year found a direct relationship between the frequency that a kid visited stores containing tobacco advertising and his or her risk of becoming a smoker.
As a result of the recent Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FDA law) and the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), retail stores are one of the last places where tobacco companies can expose kids to their advertising. Consequently, tobacco companies spend billions of dollars each year marketing their deadly products at the point of sale. This is done by controlling dominant display space in retail stores and through in-store advertising. Both are typically found around the cash register, sometimes referred to within the industry as the “goal post” because it is the one place in the store where everyone must go. Tobacco companies invest a lot at these locations in creating so-called “power walls,” large, visually appealing displays of products intended to attract the interest of customers.
The 16 Reality Check Programs in New York work with many other groups such as the American Cancer Society, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University of California to educate the community about tobacco issues such as in-store marketing. Teens encourage the community to take action to limit youth exposure to this dangerous and deadly influence.
Reality Check is the youth component of the NYS Tobacco Control Program. Teens 13-18 work to educate the community about the manipulative marketing tactics of the tobacco industry and bring about policy changes that help protect children and teens from its influence. To learn more, contact your local Reality Check program or visit www.realitycheckofny.com.
Alan Rubeck, Erie-Niagara Reality Check: 716-359-6067, arubeck@e1b.orgKasheef Moore, Reality Check Youth Advocate: 716-931-4235, kasheef@gmail.com
For more information contact Deborah Pettibone, Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition: 716-868-6182, deborah.pettibone@roswellpark.org,