TOBACCO
14 Second Street West • Williston, ND
Preventing Tobacco Use Among
Youth and Young Adults
701-577-7227
The Tobacco Industry
Fewer adults are smoking today, both
because many have quit and because
about half of long-term smokers die from
diseases caused by their tobacco use. So,
cigarette companies look to young people
as replacement smokers. They use a variety
of marketing strategies to encourage new
consumers to try their products, and to
continue using them.
Proudly supporting our youth in
their efforts to remain ABUSE free.
We care & get involved!
Susceptibility of Youth and
Young Adults
328 26th Street W
Williston, ND
“We are proud to support our
future leaders in their efforts
to remain ABUSE Free!”
Tobacco Use: A
Preventable Epidemic
THE PROBLEM
ND
PHARMAC Y
701-572-4181
“We are proud
supporters of ABUSE
Prevention!”
20 26th Street E.
Williston, ND
Today’s teens and young adults can access
information on millions of subjects almost
instantly. But many of the same media that
warn of the dangers of tobacco use also
carry messages that smoking is cool—edgy—
adult. That’s one reason nearly 4,000 kids
under age 18 try their first cigarette every
day. That’s almost 1.5 million youth a year.
In fact, nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start
smoking by age 18, and 99% start by age 26.
On any given day, more than 2,500 youth
and young adults who have been occasional
smokers will become regular smokers.
And at least a third of these replacement
smokers will die early from smoking.
The percentage of youth who smoke
went down every year between 1997 and
2003.
We at KFC’s are proud to be
an ABUSE FREE workplace
& support our ABUSE FREE
North Dakota!!
212 West 14th Street
Williston, ND
701-572-7781
10
But since then, the decrease in teen
smoking has slowed and the use of some
forms of tobacco by youth has leveled out.
Today, one out of four high school seniors
and one out of three young adults under age
26 are smokers.
THE CAUSES
Adolescence and young adulthood are
the times when people are most susceptible
to starting tobacco use. Young people are
more vulnerable and more influenced by
marketing than adults. They are also more
willing to take risks, even with their health.
When smoking is portrayed as a social norm
among others who are seen as cool, sophisticated, rebellious, or fun-loving, teens
often respond by copying the behavior
and trying cigarettes themselves. If their
friends smoke, or their siblings smoke, they
are even more likely to smoke themselves.
And young people are sensitive to nicotine. The younger they are when they start
using tobacco, the more likely they are to
become addicted to nicotine and the more
heavily addicted they will become.
Young people sometimes believe nothing
can hurt them. Facts about health problems that could happen in middle age—or
even right away—may mean little to them
now. Many teens and young adults don’t
realize how addictive nicotine is. Some may
have a tough time making healthy choices
or sorting out tobacco myths from facts.
Others may want to fit in with a group
or seem older, edgier, or more socially
grounded. And images that encourage
tobacco use are everywhere— from the
Internet to the movies to big, bright advertisements at convenience stores. All of
these factors make youth a prime market
for tobacco products.
Young people start using
tobacco for many reasons. These
are some of the most important:
| North Dakota Spring/Summer 2014 | abusemagazine.org
Source: www.surgeongeneral.gov