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Dangers of cigarettes should be taught early in life

Wednesday, June 04, 2003

By LaMont Jones, Post-Gazette Fashion Editor

Children should be taught early about the dangers and risks of smoking cigarettes, said this month's six Teen Forum panelists. Two of them said they had tried cigarettes but didn't enjoy the experience. Though none of the panelists smokes, four said someone in their immediate family does.

	(Illustrated by Ted Crow, Post-Gazette)

The consensus was that smoking is no longer perceived as cool by high schoolers.

"It's kind of dirty and gross," said Jason LeViere of Ross.

"We realize it's disgusting" and detrimental to health, said Christine Vezzetti, also of Ross.

Still, some teens decide to smoke for a variety of reasons, panelists said. "To fit in" during a phase of adolescence, said Donta Green of Larimer. "A little bit of rebellion" or the influence of someone close who already smokes, added Jason. One panelist said a relative developed a cigarette-smoking habit after seeing a performer doing it in a music video.

Meagan Kroman said some teens believe smoking will make you thin.

"A lot of people don't realize the long-term effects and impact," added Christine.

	Teen Forum Teens speak out on today's tough issues Teen Forum panel Teen Forum is a monthly platform that allows teen-agers to express their opinions on important issues. This month, homes editor Kevin Kirkland moderated a discussion on smoking. Teen Forum welcomes the opinions of teen-agers on any strongly felt issue. Columns for "Talk Back" should not exceed 300 words and should be submitted, along with a photo, to Jones at the Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Columns also can be faxed to Jones at 412-263-1313 or e-mailed to ljones@post-gazette.com. If you're a high school student and want to participate in a future round table, e-mail or phone Jones at 412-263-1469.

Since 2001, state law has prohibited smoking on school property by anyone. But the panelists said some students sneak a smoke in stairwells and rest-rooms anyway. They risk being suspended if caught.

Formal education about smoking's dangers and other health issues usually takes place in middle school, panelists said, but they think the process should begin sooner. All but one panelist said they plan to discuss the issue with their own children before the youngsters learn about it in school.

"I wouldn't want to leave it up to someone else, something I wanted explained thoroughly," said Meagan.

Donta said he would wait for a child to bring up the subject first, because the child might rebel if he initiated the discussion. Jason contended that it would be more responsible for a parent to initiate the discussion because a parent-as-friend approach does not work. Further, added Brittnee Walker, a child could be addicted by the time he or she decides to come to a parent for advice.

Tamira Noble said that if she caught a child of hers smoking, "I would probably put a leash on them" -- home-schooling and no television from that day forward.

The state Department of Health estimates that 28 percent of ninth- through 11th-graders smoke and about 36 percent of high school seniors use cigarettes. Panelists, however, said those figures sound inflated.

Donta said marijuana is more prevalent than cigarettes among his peers.

Tobacco Free Allegheny is a local campaign that received $10.5 million from the tobacco industry as part of a $206 billion settlement with 46 states in 1998. The money is being used for smoking prevention and cessation initiatives in conjunction with the county Health Department and other organizations.

Panelists said the "truth"-themed anti-smoking TV commercials are good but panned advertising aimed at parents, which Meagan described as "cheesy." The consensus among panelists was that parents and peers are likely to be most influential on teens with regard to smoking because educators have to be politically correct.

Several said up-close-and-personal educational experiences have discouraged them from smoking. Meagan said she still remembers an educator years ago bringing in a pig lung that had been treated to resemble a smoker's diseased lung. And Tamira recalled seeing in the eighth grade surgical photos of cancers removed from smokers.

Brittnee said her household is a constant deterrent to smoking because both of her parents are health-care professionals.

Jason said he believes many people smoke because they are ignorant of the negative side effects -- notwithstanding all of the negative publicity -- and because they don't think about the health crisis it often causes later in life.

All six panelists said they would favor a ban on smoking at all restaurants. In a smoking survey of restaurant patrons that Christine did for a class two years ago, about 65 percent of respondents backed a complete ban. However, smokers who responded indicated that they would not eat at restaurants if the ban became a reality.

Should cigarettes be illegal? No, panelists agreed. Jason speculated that outlawing them would pose big problems for people addicted to cigarettes. Donta suggested raising the legal smoking age to 21, a proposition other panelists agreed with.