News Feature                   For Immediate Release

February 7, 2005

Not To Kids - Important Campaign at the Bayshore Community Centre

The Not To Kids campaign is in full swing at the Bayshore Community Centre with signage, pamphlets, and mini hockey stick give-aways. The message is clear- it’s not okay for youth to smoke! The goal of the Not To Kids program is to prevent the selling and supplying of tobacco to anyone under 19. Not To Kids provides information to retailers, youth, schools, and the community about the seriousness of providing tobacco to youth – they just don’t have the maturity to understand the consequences of their actions. Smoking is more addictive than cocaine or heroin and once hooked a person will smoke for an average of 35 years. Kids get addicted to smoking if they can get cigarettes easily.

18.8% of Ontario youth age 15-19 are smokers and 23.6% of Ontario students in grades 7 through OAC have smoked in the past year. This represents the first significant decline since the early 1980s. That's good news, but the numbers are still too high. Kids start smoking on average at age 12; however, if they haven't started smoking by age 20, chances are they never will. Research shows that kids often get their tobacco from their friends, so not only do we need to decrease retail sales to youth but we need to ensure that other sources, such as friends, family and strangers, do not supply tobacco to youth. We need to change the way we think about youth and tobacco so that supplying tobacco to youth is just not acceptable.

The Tobacco Control Act of Ontario makes it against the law to sell, buy or give tobacco (even one cigarette) to anyone under the age of 19.  Increased enforcement is also planned as an important part of the campaign to reduce youth access to tobacco. If a young person requests that you buy or give them cigarettes (even one), don't do it.

Tobacco retailers can help prevent kids from smoking by not selling tobacco to anyone under 19. Report stores selling or people supplying cigarettes to kids under 19 to your local public health unit. Remember that it’s not okay for youth to smoke, and supplying tobacco to anyone under 19 is against the law.

For more information please contact Public Health at 376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456 or visit our website at www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca.

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For more information:

Kim McDougall-Hodge or Miguelle Mann

Tobacco Enforcement and Education Officers

Grey Bruce Health Unit

(519) 376-9420