World Report: April 16, 1999 Vol.4 No.23
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Florida Kids Crush Out Smoking
What can a state get for $70 million? Well, Florida spent that much on a series of in-your-face antismoking ads and events, produced mostly by kids. Result: the state's smoking rate among middle school students dropped 19% and the rate among high schoolers fell 8%--in just one year! That's the largest annual decline in any state since 1980.
Nationwide, the teen smoking rate has increased steadily since the early 1990s. About 3 million U.S. teenagers smoke. In 1996 Florida won $13 billion in a lawsuit against tobacco companies. State officials decided to use a chunk of the money to fight tobacco use among kids. They let kids think up ideas for antismoking ads, concerts and other events.
A new medical study shows the importance of preventing kids from smoking. The study, just published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, shows that kids who smoke every day suffer lung damage that the body can never repair, even if they later quit.
"It is the age when smoking starts that is important," said scientist John K. Wiencke. "It didn't matter if (kids) were heavy or light smokers--what mattered was that they started young." Thank goodness that in Florida, antismoking activists are starting young too.
