Viewpoint: Smoke Free Sustainablity

BY TED SCHIELE & SVANTE MYRICK*

Published in the Ithaca Times, June 11, 2008

We have no shortage of local issues affecting our health: Bike lanes, truck traffic, tar sands, drinking water, DWI, asthma and obesity. So why is cigarette use—smoking—a public health issue that we believe deserves the community’s attention?

Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death and disease both nationally and globally. Every year in the U.S., ten times more people die from long term, chronic illness caused by their smoking habit than are killed in automobile crashes.

Cigarettes are far more addictive than alcohol, yet are subject to far fewer regulations. In general, alcohol is safe when consumed legally and in moderation. Smoking cigarettes is never safe.

Yet, over the last 50 years tobacco companies have systematically marketed their products as a symbol of personal freedom and pathway to social success, while simultaneously defrauding the public through repeated denials of the addictive and lethal nature of their product.

In contrast to the way alcohol, including beer, is sold in New York, health warnings about cigarettes are barely visible or nonexistent at the point of sale. Tobacco companies pay retailers to post branded advertising in store windows, on outdoor signposts, and around gas pumps, a practice that is illegal for alcohol sales. Cigarettes are freely consumed throughout the public landscape.

If we are to pass a healthier standard of living on to the next generation then we must hold tobacco companies accountable for the effect their products have on smokers and non-smokers alike. We must also undo the messages that continue to recruit new smokers. A smoke free generation is a process of change that starts in the public landscape, and is rewarded by better health, more productive lives, and social and economic sustainability.

Ninety percent of adult smokers started before age 18. Typically, people adopt the habit for style and social acceptance, and continue because of the addictive, behavioral and emotional ties that develop around smoking. In a 2006 survey of Tompkins County adults conducted for Tobacco Free Tompkins, half of all smokers reported they want to quit.

Our community can be the agent for this change. We can shape the public landscape to support an environment that will maximize the success rate for those who want to quit, and minimize the social allure that motivates young people to start. Once we adopt this priority, we will be solidly on course toward a smoke free generation. The future is nonsmoking.

How do we envision a proactive public landscape?

1. Smoke free public outdoor areas.
   • Kids are, in part, a product of their environment—if a “normal” environment is smoke free, then young people are more likely to follow that path into adulthood.
   • The environment stimulates behaviors—if a smoker who is trying to quit manages to get through a day without a cigarette, maintaining that success will be a lot more likely in a smoke free public environment.
2. Fewer cigarette ads at retail stores.
• The cigarette companies spent $13 billion in 2006 to market their product in the U.S. Signs for Marlboro, Camel, Newport and discount brands are present throughout our landscape. These motivate sales to smokers, including those who are trying to quit, build brand loyalty within the next generation and signal that cigarettes are a common consumer reality like muffins, milk, and 32 ounce fountain drinks.
• Note: The City of Ithaca passed a resolution in October 2007 that urges retailers to reduce their point of sale advertising to the minimum necessary to let smokers know that they sell cigarettes.
3. Unconditional help for smokers—youth and adult—who want to quit.
   • It’s not every smoker’s goal, but when a smoker decides to quit, support should be easy to find, easy to implement, and affordable.

Without environmental change, hard-fought personal change or parental guidance can be undone with one step outside. Environmental change does not happen overnight, nor does it always support all interests equally. Still, we believe that the science and statewide momentum supporting smoke free environments is so compelling, that if our community takes clear steps in that direction now, this leadership will reward future generations with better health and stronger lives.

Resources for quitting smoking:

• NYS Smokers’ Quitline. 1-866-NY-QUITS (toll free 1-866-697-8487). Free starter kit for eligible smokers who are ready to quit. Free telephone counseling service 9am-9pm weekdays, 9am-1pm weekends. Motivational tips available 24/7. Also online, www.nysmokefree.com.
• Nurse Direct cessation counseling. 1-800-295-8088. Free telephone counseling service provided by UHS Healthy Living Center, Johnson City.
• Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network. 1-800-231-0744. Free cessation program for pregnant and parenting women and those caring for young children.

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*Ted Schiele is coordinator of Tobacco Free Tompkins and the T-Free Zone program, based at the Tompkins County Health Department.

Svante Myrick is 4th Ward Alderperson on Ithaca Common Council. He is a volunteer for Reality Check of Tompkins County, a youth-based group that advocates against tobacco companies.