Community Partnerships Launch "This is Tobacco Marketing" Campaign

ALBANY, N.Y., March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A media campaign was launched over the weekend to educate New Yorkers that in-store tobacco product displays are a form of marketing which impacts youth smoking. The campaign reflects research that the more kids see tobacco marketing, the more likely they are to start smoking.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120305/NY64594)

"Every day, our kids are exposed to a tremendous amount of tobacco marketing in convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies and grocery stores," said Susan Kennedy, CP Media Project Coordinator.  "It is not an accident that tobacco products are displayed in the most visible location in stores - directly behind the checkout counter.  Exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking so we need to take action to protect our kids."

Each year 22,500 youth in New York State become new daily smokers and 31.6 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked in New York State.  There is one licensed tobacco retailer for every 194 children in New York State.  On average, these retailers provide 32 square feet behind the checkout counter for tobacco displays.  Research also shows that retailers near schools have more products on display and more signs. 

"Last fall the Lung Association and the Community Partnerships in New York City hosted the 'Take a Walk in Our Shoes Tobacco Ad Tour' in all five boroughs where we saw firsthand how inescapable these ads are for our kids," said Jeff Seyler, CEO of the American Lung Association in New York.  "Tobacco product display marketing is occurring across the state and that's why this campaign is so important.  Parents and community members don't realize that just by seeing these displays our kids are more likely to smoke and fall prey to a lifetime of tobacco addiction."

Concerned community members and parents can take action to protect our kids at TobaccoFreeNYS.org

Community Partnerships for a Tobacco Free New York are funded by the NYS Department of Health's Tobacco Control Program. They educate community leaders and the public about the dangers and social costs of tobacco use, engage local stakeholders to adopt policies that restrict the tobacco industry's presence, seek to de-normalize tobacco use and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. 

SOURCE Community Partnerships for a Tobacco Free New York