Letter to the Editor: We Support Tobacco 21

From Greendale Schools: Did you know that 95% of adult smokers started smoking before they were 21? This fact is startling because the teenage brain is not fully matured and nicotine can alter the brain’s development. In addition, individuals who start smoking at a young age have a higher chance of becoming addicted to nicotine. That is some scary stuff!

There are many places working to ensure that teens don’t pick up this terrible addiction. California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Maine and at least 255 cities and counties decided to protect their youth from disease and addiction by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to anyone who is not 21 years of age or older. This movement is called Tobacco 21. These laws and policies protect teens from the harmful health impacts of and addiction to tobacco products. Teens under 18 who try smoking often get cigarettes from older friends, who are over 18. Places that have raised the age to 21 will help keep tobacco out of their schools because high school students who are 18 won’t be able to legally purchase tobacco for those under 18.

As members of FACT, Wisconsin’s youth tobacco prevention program, we believe that Tobacco 21 is a great idea. This will prevent high school students from having access to tobacco and pressuring other high schoolers to smoke as well. Additionally, high schoolers will not be able to use their I.D. to purchase tobacco products for their younger friends and siblings.

Our FACT group in Greendale will be spreading the truth about tobacco by conducting the “Dress your Part” and “Hello My Name Is” FACTivisms (FACT plus activism and advocacy) where we will be wearing name tags with some of the ingredients that are in tobacco products on top of homemade FACT t-shirts.

Another way that we are spreading awareness will be on Kicks Butt Day, March 21, 2018. FACT members will inform Greendale Middle School students about the dangers of tobacco and nicotine products by having them to play games. They will learn the ingredients of tobacco and how they affect the body. By doing this, we hope that our peers and community will see how important it is to avoid a tobacco addiction.

FACT is part of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Tobacco Prevention and Control Program and is managed by the American Lung Association. It was developed out of a statewide concern about teen tobacco use and has educated hundreds of thousands of youth over the last 16 years. For more about FACT, visit FACTmovement.org.

Rachel Young, Alanna Swenski, and Samantha Swenski
Greendale High School FACT

Photo courtesy of Greendale Schools