March 6, 2002

Revolution to Uncool youth smoking

by Conrad Martin and Vic Granic

A revolution is afoot, a revolution to fight disastrous harm done to young people by cigarette manufacturers who put financial profit ahead of the health and well-being of the world's youth.
Young people cannot be expected to fight this battle alone. Instead, adults must lead the way, forming an international grass roots coalition, which will assist and guide youth in the effort to protect their right to health and freedom from disease. The system enables and encourages young people to smoke must be exposed and completely overhauled.
Present society has a false sense of responsibility with regard to this extremely important issue. The belief that existing organizations and government agencies are effectively addressing the problem of youth smoking is a myth.
And yet, modern technology and knowledge have taken away all excuses for inaction- we know that smoking has terrible consequences for human health, and we have the means of spreading our message and acting to fight the problem. For example, the Internet can be used to foster a community of concerned adults and youth who will lead the way toward a smoke-free future.
Many concrete initiatives can be taken to attack the problem of youth smoking. Potential measures include:
-Requiring adult identification cards to purchase cigarettes, combined with the use of modern computer technology to number and register every package of cigarettes sold. With these measures in place, a surcharge could be added to the price of cigarettes, to be refunded when the empty box is returned by the correct adult cardholder. This would strongly discourage adults from buying cigarettes for youth.
-Introducing strong new laws allowing youth to register liens against individuals, companies or organizations which have illegally supplied cigarettes.-Widely promoting the idea that it is a shame to supply cigarettes to youth and publicly exposing those who do so.
-Requiring funeral homes to display cause of death certificates for those who have been killed by smoking or smoking-related illnesses.
-Instituting a "three strikes, you're out" rule for merchants who are caught supplying cigarettes to youth, after which they would not be eligible to sell cigarettes.
-Supplying informed and aggressive editorial content that can be freely copied and reproduced by any media or agency willing to assist in the cause of uncooling youth smoking.
-Encouraging schools, churches, businesses, clubs, teams and other social organizations to form partnerships to uncool youth smoking and spread the message, "Teens, Get Out! Grab Life Smoke Free!"
-Promoting the deposit of youth allowances by parents and families into the "Get Out! Grab Life!" web site accounts, which will be organized and administered in collaboration with participating banks. This will repeatedly expose youth to the site's anti-smoking, pro-activity messages and organizations, with all site earnings to be controlled by a Board of Trustees and used to advance the cause of Uncooling youth smoking.
-Marketing youth fashions and goods such as school supplies, CDs, etc., with the site's logos to raise anti-smoking awareness and help produce the funds needed to run the organization.
-Licensing companies to use the "Get Out! Grab Life Smoke Free!" identity to spread anti-smoking, pro-healthy living messages to youth.
-Issuing tax credits to companies and individuals for advertising bought and displayed as part of the crusade to uncool youth smoking.
Measures such as those outlined above will make adults responsible for the sale and purchase of cigarettes, thus creating barriers to the independent use of cigarettes by youth. These measures will also help to create a radical new awareness, so that the effort to uncool youth smoking matches the energy and money employed by cigarette companies to seduce youth into using their deadly products and becoming victims of irreparable harm.

Let us lead the way! The future of our youth is at stake!