lntroduclng SGR 4 Kids . . . . . . 6 The Surgeon General's FlrstReportforKlds . . . . . . . . . . 0 Six Facts About Kk&andsmoking . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 IntervIew wtth the Surgeon General.. . . . . . . . . . . . . The Real Deal About Tobacco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 ' When You Use Tobacco Your Money Goes Up In smoke.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 ' Is Smokeless Tobacco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 The Cigarette Ad Busters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 Kid Power: We Travel coast to coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UB Ten Things You Can Do to Make Your World Smoke-Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . QB For additional copies of this magazine, call l-SOO-CDC-1311. Melea Morris Los Angeles, , California "I don't think the a smoking people should use Joe Camel because p.e is a cartoon Welcome! For the first time in history, the U.S. Surgeon General - Dr. Joycelyn Elders - has written a report about smoking and kids. It's called Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General. Since the report is all about kids, Dr. Elders thought you should have your own version - one that's a little more personal than the report prepared by doctors and scientists. So welcome to SGR 4 RIDS, your smoke-free magazine. We call it "you? magazine because it's not just written about kids, it's for kids! To write this magazine, we talked to kids across the coun- try- from an Indian reservation in Colorado to a Boys and Girls Club in Miami, from a Los Angeles classroom to a Cleveland Little League park. We asked them: What do you and your friends think about smoking? What do you want to see in this magazine? We also sent young reporters on some expeditions of their own - including a trip to Washington, D.C., to interview the Surgeon General. You'll find their words and ideas in SGR 4 RIDS. Turn the page and read on. Aaron Siegel Harrison, New York Ww ;T;;hould Y no-smoking I sections in restaurants, stadiums and places like that." Kelli Ward Chicago, Illinois - "Instead of showing L- ----/ o ? ? beautifil models in ads, I would show a wrinkly old person in really bad health. That's more I realistic. n Before we tell you more about Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A *port of the Surgeon General, W&U answer your first question - just who, or what, is a Surgeon General? Well, for starters, she is nst a surgeon - and not a general. She is, however, one of our country's leading spokespersons on health issues. All U.S. presidents get to pick their own Surgeon General. The current Surgeon General, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, was chosen by President Bill Clinton. One of the most important things Dr. Elders does is warn people about health dangers - like smoking. Surgeon Generals have been putting out reports on tobacco since Dr. Luther Terry released the first one in 1964. Since then there have been reports about nicotine, second- hand smoke and lots of other topics. But there has never been an entire report about kids and tobacco use - until now! This year, Dr. Elders is releasing the first SGR (Surgeon General's Report) just about. kids. It focuses on preventing about* . kids and -t: - ' sf'poking tobacco use among kids aged 12 to 18. That's the age when most people who smoke get started. Every day, in fact, another 3,000 young people begin smok- ing. That, says Dr. Elders, is simply not okay with her - and it's not okay with any of the kids we talked to, either! "Smoking causes more death and disease than all other addic- tions combined," she explains. "And it has health consequencer that start when you smoke yoti very ii& cigarette.-n J+ g. F: because you're young doe+ . mean you're a wonderkid + is smoking will hurt you or $ than you think. 1. [i g That's why the Surgeon r? General, and the government's ' Office on Smoking and Health, take the issue of kids and smok- ing so seriously. Nearly 100 scientists worked for almost two years on the SGR about young people. And they went straight to the source. Y&en though this report was written by adults, it was kids who really told us what's going on," says Cheryl Perry, senior scientific editor for the SGR. The researchers talked to thouaauds of kids for this projeckA We've got a lot of ground to cover! But first, let's follow some of our kid reporters to Washington, D.C., to meet the Surgeon General. Mostpeopbstartu>obaccobefwetlleyfinlshhlghscheoL TMsmeansthatlfyoustaysnmkdreeinschool,youwIiIprabr#r nevw smoke. Mo8tteenswhosmokeweaddktedtoIdcotha llmyww#ttoquN smoki*buttheycan't. whmtheytrytoqutt,thDyexpwiwIce nasty wlthdrawd aympbma -Just llke rrdults. T~buftwltboIbd~u~bykidrwhousealcubdwBd W~dn@slikemdJumm. Kidswhf&artrrnokinQmmomlIkdyto#atloww#?adamk~ lbeytwBdtohmgoutwithutiMbrkidswhowaoke. llmymyhDvo aIowaetmmge8ndtjnBydonYknowhewtosaynoto~ CfgwDtteadv- wedem@nedtonwkepeoplethinkthDt smokingas~8ndthatevwybodydoesk Tllesenlhhdhgabr appewtoInweasekhls'llskofrnrold* Rnally, Iwo's awns good newd Peopk4 wotldng in thdr communfth - kid8WhOW~WbChOthWbboutthO~Of~fWO~ 8ndproghlmsthatmakellthwdwIbr8tomstoseIl~ . toWck=wehelplnsbok~kl~awclyfromt~ A Dannie: IFhat does the SurBem -1 do? I'm responsible for making sure that everybody in the nation has the best possible health. My job is to be an advocate for you - to speak out about things that are in your best interest. That includes making sure you don't get involved in any behavior that can be damaging to your health, like using drugs or drinking or smoking. Eric: WFuzt kind of doctor am F? I'm a pediatric endocrinologist. That means I specialize in taking care of children who have special problems related to their glands. Tramaineiwltgdfdgou~ to do this report for kids? I just felt that kids are the most important thing we've got in this country. Nothing is more important than you. And I don't want you to get lung cancer or start using other kinds of drugs - you know, kids who smoke are much more likely to drink or use drugs. So if we can keep bright young people like you from ever smoking we hope we can keep you from getting into trouble in other ways. Since you are going to take good careofmewhenIgettobeandold lady, it's important to me to make sure that you stay healthy. Sonia: Ifcigarettes are so bad for you, why are they still kgal? When I see all the terrible problems smoking causes, I ask myself that same question. When cigarettes were first being used, we didn't know they could cause cancer. Before long, smoking became a part of our culture. Now millions of people are addicted to cigarettes. I'm sure that if cigarettes were introduced today, with all that we know about them, we would never allow them to be sold. Dannie: Why are your warnings on cigarette pack.8 so small? We're trying to change that, to make sure that our health warnings areglaringand standing out in front. At first the cigarette companies wanted to make those labels as small as they could. They wanted you to have to use a magnifying glass to see them! But now Congress is consider- ing some new laws that say the labels have to be large and clear enough that you can readily see them. Soda: Why am cigarette ads allowed in magazines and on billboards if they+e not allowed on TV? I think cigarette ads should not be allowed in magazines and on billboards. You should not be able to advertise something that we know is dangerous - especially to our children. And yet we have 3,000 young people like yourselves who start smok- ing every day. ac: Wkat do you think about Joe Camel ads? I think that when as many of our 6-year-olds know Joe Camel as know Mickey Mouse, that says we've got a problem! The tobacco industry spends millions and millions of dollars on advertising that is seen by young people. I'm opposed to that. We have to use the mass media - TV, radio, maga- zines - to start advertising positive messages to kids. Soda: What else do you plan to do as Surgeon General to keep kids from smoking? I want to start teaching kids about the dangers of smoking very early in school - as early as kindergarten. If we do that, and have you well informed, I know that you will make good decisions. You know, if you haven't started smoking by the time you're 19 years old, you will probably never smoke. So if I can keep you from smok- ing until then, I've got a chance to keep you from ever smoking. Tramaine: What's your advice to kids whose &T-&VU& are pressuring them to smoke? My advice is to tell them, "Listen, I don't want that cancer stick. I don't plan to die of lung cancer. I don't have to smoke to feel good about myself. And I don't think that you should either. Because I don't want to take care of you when you get old and sick." Tramaine: Do you like your job? Yes, I like my job very much. I like to feel that I'm doing something that's going to make a difference for young people. And if I can do something that will make a difference, and I live to he an old lady sitting on my porch rocking, I can look out there and say, "I did that," or "I influenced that person." I can really feel good. A The Surgeon General says that 3,000 kids start smoking every day. They must not know the facts about tobacco - if they did, they'd stay miles away from the stuff! So let's cut through the smoke and get to the real deal about tobacco. Most kids my age smoke... don't they? The Real Deal It might look that way, because tobacco com- panies pay lots of money to fiIl magazines and billboards with pictures of people smoking. But according to the Surgeon General, only 13 percent of (or 13 out of 100) adolescents have smoked in the last 30 days. And only 8 percent are "fre- quent" smokers. That means most kids - 87 percent, to be exact - are smart enough not to smoke. We don't need to worry - smoking won't affect our health until we're a lot older... debt? The Real Deal You already know that smoking can cause things like cancer and heart dis- ease, but the report also lists symptoms that start to develop as soon as you smoke your first cigarette - no matter how young you are. These include shortness of breath, coughing, nausea, dizziness, and "phlegm production." Pretty gross, huh? But lf you only smoke a llttle bit, that can't hurt... can lt? The Real Deal According to Dr. Elders, symptoms like wheezing and coughing have been found in kids who smoke just one cigarette a week. Well, lf smoking Is so bad, all you have to do Is quit. Well, at least tobacco use How hard can that be? doesn't lead to other drug The Real Deal Most teens who use... does it? smoke want to stop. Nearly half The Real Deal It doesn't alwavs. of the high school seniors in the " ' but it certainly can. Many &rvey said they'd like times tobacco is the first D quit smoking. drug used by kids A But they can't who use alcohol because, accord- and illegal drugs. A ingtothe The SGR says that, , SGR, "most compared with young pewle non-smokers, kids who smoke who smoke are 3 daily are times more likely addicted to to use alcohol. nicotine." They're 8 times r In the same more likely to smoke survey, about marijuana, and 22 ti 40 percent said more likely to use co thes tried to quit Scary, hub? and couldn't. Kids who smoke think they're cool... are they? The Real Deal Only if by "cool" you mean kids who probably aren't doing very well in school. The SGR found that students with the highest grades are less likely to smoke than those with the lowest grades. The same is true for smokeless tobacco - daily tobacco use is highest among drop-outs, lowest among college students. Kids who smoke have lower self- images. They look to smoking because they think it will give them a better image - cooler, maybe, or more attractive, or more popular. And because their self-image is low, they don't have the confidence to say no when someone wants them to use tobacco. Bo maybe we're better off If we never start smoking. Now There's the Ultimate Real Deal Quitting is not a pretty sight, because nicotine is as addictive as alcohol, heroin, or cocaine. According to the SGR, when people quit they might experience "frustration, anger, anxiety, difI?iculty concen- trating, restlessness, and decreased heart rate." The Surgeon General found that most smokers start before they finish high school. So if you make it to graduation day without starting to smoke, chances are you never will! Qdek "Camel cigarettes uses Joe Camel, a cartoon character, to catch kid& Kids like cartoons mom thun adults do." 7. yf the cigma CornpLank .mnge#idshookedonabmnd, .+&k~just might buy that ~4!%%ii*ei* uw W' -*,e &youthmar- .j& ia i&m-y important to the big ;~ijompirnies,hecause jlcnlI$emahersareneededto replace older smokers who quit or die. KMs like humor, and kids like cartoons - and Camel ads use both. According to the SGR, most kids pick Camel Old Joe Camel, the cartoon symbol for Camel cigarettes, has been around since 1986. Many people thlnk that Camel uses a cartoon to get klds to smoke. they want the ads banned. But R.J. Reynolds, the maker of Camel cigarettes, says it doesn't belleve `for a minute" that Old Joe encourages kids to smoke. You be the judge: In the first 4 years that Camel ads featured Joe, smokers under 18 who preferred Camels rose from less than 1 I percent to as much as 30 percent of the market. Sales of Camel cigarettes to kids 12 to 19 years old have risen from $8 million in 1988 to 8476 mlllion In 1991 -that's equal to 262 million packs of cigarettes. b Joe Camel is as familiar to 6 year-old klds as Mickey Mouse! b R.J. Reynolds spends an estimated $22 million a year on Camel ads. UUNTINGTON CALIFORNIA Angie YmpkIo broke the law NEW MEXICO It's amazing what kid power - and a little peanut butter and jelly - can accompilsh! last year, 380 students packed the New Mexico state capitol to talk to their +makers about pas&g a Iaw that weuld make It liie- gal to ssll tobacco to kids under S8. They even brought the lawmakers p.b.&j. sati wishes to lunch oni A month later, the law passed. lnllRrn4TU NORTH DAK,pTA What can Just two kids do? Plenty, it turns out, w&n thg a re Justin Plscher and `ja waswmldngwH8the police dapartnlant hen she did R! Anglewaspautof or a carton! turned dowu," she say+. sold lt to me gladly." The health agency that sponsored the stlng hopes stores will get the massage and obey the law. Today, rll 80 states and Washlngtou, nobody can smoke at --: Marmath Public Schooi.~?~ as a really fun experi= Eric 8onsaBaI The only students in their grade (the whole school has only 88 students), they wanted to make their school smoke free. Eric, age 11, admRs he was `pretty nervous" when they shared thls idea wlth the school board. But the board agreed that smoking stinks - and I@W see what kids are ILLINOIS Students at the Perry Elementary School think magazines read by kids should not print tobaoco ads. Sotheypickedsomema@= rines F in@uding spark iifu&bd~HotRod- from the schbol l_ibrary and wtote lotted to ghe dtors# asl@ng them to stop running the&tads Whentheeditors dlddt write back, the library 0 canceled ths subscriptions. NEW JERSEY "Sometimes - adults w kids don't know what tb 10 talking about," says t?eorge Vega, 17. But worge can WI growlnIPs atbingortwoabouttobacco advutisln@ - and he did! His grout HORA (Hispanics On the Rise Agaln), took a survey of cigarette billboards in his hometown. They found there were more signs in Hispanic wborhoods than anyplace else. `They put bill= boards by churches and schools and in parks where kids play," he complains HORA is talking to the city council about dumping the signs We want to remove tobacco Mllboards,W says Beorge, `and replace them with ones for milk or vegetb bles - something healthy and positive for kida" MEN1 lo: me -*`- \ shouldiook like. Stdkothroe, th smoki~soutI Aswe'vesesn, -- ---_-,----I, or cafeteria ~. 1 ..&..Fi BlockthatalotlKid tcoyoungto b--d asbreaftent auuw -lr--cuIY" - fqorta3 don% mix by writing aletter- .:--; to the owners ofpcwr lo&sporfS'~~~?~-- m w t.&&p$j ;F-- kv45~~~+ fkee&&acco~ -Y-`-L -Gwen &;it)aA@wtsoa &&ing action- like the Bdtimore leading2ht; n -__ : :ra J Orioles, Colorado -es, Seattle Se&awks, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Vii. These teams don't allow any tobacco advertis- ing in their stadiums. Butt outl Write a letter to your favorite restaurant, asking them to go completely smoke-h . in their restaurant is clean, their food will taste better - and that you'll come back and brine vour friends!