Tobacco Ads STILL targeting our Kids!

Despite being restricted from television and billboards, tobacco advertising and promotion remain prominent in retail stores, where it can continue to influence our youth to smoke. It's well known that the tobacco industry targets kids as the new generation of smokers to replace older people who quit or die from smoking. But many people are unaware that tobacco ads are stronger than peer pressure to influence children to try out tobacco products.

Youth exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and junk food advertising increases the risk of youth consumption of these products and the subsequent health problems.

The tobacco industry knows this, so they create agreements with retailers to overload windows and doors with ads, strategically placing ads close to youth friendly products, including on floors, countertops and at eye level of young kids.

According to the 2009 Cost of Smoking in California Report, the total cost of tobacco use in Solano County is near $245 million annually, with 55% of the cost attributed to direct health care services. The equivalent to a cost of $593 per county resident! Tobacco use currently takes the lives of 425 of our loved ones each year----more than one person each day. Smoking shortens lives by 18 years----almost two decades.

In Benicia, according to the 2016 Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community Survey, over 87.5% of convenience stores advertise unhealthy products such as tobacco and alcohol on their windows and doors.

Excessive window signs on convenience stores can also contribute to crime, violence, neighborhood blight, and other nuisance activities, particularly when they block a clear view of the stores. Allowing law enforcement to have a clear view of the clerk and the cash register can assist in the case of a robbery, dispute or any other situation that could be of danger to employees or customers. Less window signage will also allow employees to see incoming customers.

Finally, an abundance of window advertisements creates visual clutter that damages the neighborhood aesthetics and has the potential to contribute to a reduction in property value.

Neighborhood stores play a critical role in the health of our community, especially on our youth. Researchers have found that young people are three times as sensitive to tobacco advertising as adults. The tobacco industry uses our local stores as a primary way to market its addictive products to kids.

The Solano County Tobacco Education Coalition is actively working on ways to counteract the influence tobacco has on our community.

For more information call (707) 784-8900 or visit www.TobaccoFreeSolano.org.

Annabelle Prasad

Benicia resident for 15 years

Solano County Tobacco Education Coalition, Co-Chair