This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Up in Smoke

Spanish Translation

By Nicole Iorio

On April 5, young people across the country will wear T-shirts that say "1,200." That's the number of Americans who die every day from the effects of smoking and secondhand smoke. The message may seem harsh, but health experts say that tough talk seems to be working in the battle to stub out smoking. On March 8, the National Association of Attorneys General announced that cigarette sales have hit a 55-year low.

Each April, Kick Butts Day, organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, draws attention to the deadly dangers of smoking. Such youth-led programs are just one strategy thought to be responsible for the drop in smoking in the U.S.

Still, there is work to be done. According to two national surveys, teen smoking is down after hitting a peak in the 1990s. But the decline is slowing. In fact, the number of eighth graders who smoke stayed the same from 2004 to 2005.

"The rates of smoking are still way too high," Corinne Husten, M.D., told TFK. Husten is the acting director of the Office of Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). "This is of great concern to us."

Fighting Fire with Fire
What can be done to reduce smoking rates even further? Danny McGoldrick of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says the government has to get tougher if it wants to succeed. The campaign recommends three steps: Raising tobacco taxes, passing more smoke-free laws and making sure that states spend additional money on anti-smoking programs. "We know what works," McGoldrick told TFK. "Every additional dollar spent is going to have an impact."

In the late 1990s, all 50 states went to court to fight tobacco companies. The states won the cases and received big money from the cigarette makers. The money was to be used to pay for health care and fund anti-smoking campaigns. Combined with tobacco-tax earnings, the states now have $21.3 billion dollars for the anti-tobacco fight.

But only $551 million is being spent on tobacco prevention. That may sound like a lot of money, but it's not when compared with the $15.1 billion the tobacco industry spends on advertising and sales. Laws forbid cigarette companies from directly targeting young people, but there is no denying that kids are influenced by what they see. Magazine ads, store displays, Internet sales and new products like sweet-flavored cigarettes all appeal to young tastes. When kids go to NASCAR races, music concerts or the movies, they can't help but notice that their idols light up cigarettes. Recent research suggests that the more movies kids watch, the more likely they are to smoke. Each day, about 4,000 kids try cigarettes for the first time.

Blazing the Trail
Smoke-free environments and anti-smoking ads get the right message across. The American Legacy Foundation's Truth campaign exposes ugly facts about smoking and cigarette makers' tactics. Just this month, Calabas, California, added the toughest smoking law in the nation. It prohibits smoking in all public places, both indoors and outdoors.

"I know now that I have options in my future," says Thania Balcorta, 17. Through leadership roles with anti-tobacco groups, this California student has learned to say no to cigarettes. Thania aims to help other kids make the same smart choice.

Krystal Pelayo, 16, a member of Hawaii's youth-group REAL, agrees. "We know that we have an important voice," she says.

Health experts say that they will keep fighting until all kids get the message that tobacco is deadly. "We have to do a better job of preventing kids from smoking," says the CDC's Husten. "One of the most important things we can do is make sure that kids don't start in the first place."

Think!
Should the government ban smoking in movies and TV shows aimed at kids and teens? Why or why not?

Next: A Farewell to Arms in Spain