Article published March 31, 2006
'THE EDITORS'
Anti-tobacco trio detail efforts to halt smoking
Even nonsmokers have heard of the American Cancer Society's "Great American Smokeout," but how about "Kick Butts Day"?
That anti-smoking effort, begun in September, 1995, is designed, in particular, to influence young people against tobacco use, both among themselves and by their parents.
Locally, this year's "Kick Butts Day" on Wednesday is being promoted by the Tobacco-Free African American Project, whose focus is narrowed to Toledo's minority community.
"Being a minority is stressful, and a lot of people in stressful circumstances lean on various substances" as a coping mechanism, Michael Hayes, a tobacco prevention specialist with the organization, said during an interview with Tom Walton, vice president-editor of The Blade, during taping yesterday of The Editors television program.
African-Americans and Hispanics tend to start smoking at later ages than Caucasians, but "we smoke a lot longer, though, and we inhale deeper," said Kathryn Grayson, a tobacco prevention coordinator for the group, who also participated in the interview along with Stuart Kerr, northwest Ohio coordinator for SmokeFreeOhio.
Minorities tend to smoke more menthol cigarettes, which the makers promoted as being healthier after warnings about smoking began to intensify during the 1960s, Ms. Grayson said.A key to discouraging young people from taking up smoking, Mr. Hayes said, is to banish a "cavalier attitude" about it. Youth often describe smoking as a "habit" rather than the addiction that it is, he said.
Minorities also have to overcome heavy promotional efforts that tobacco-makers have made in central city neighborhoods, Mr. Hayes said.
Tobacco and liquor ads "are much more concentrated in minority neighborhoods," he said. "They're making cigarette packaging more appealing to the hip-hop audience."
Mr. Hayes said that, as a man in his late 20s who listens to the same music current schoolchildren do, he is somewhat effective in catching youthful ears with his message, but it works better the tighter the age gap becomes.
"If I can get a 16-year-old to talk to the 12-year-old, it will have a much greater impact," he said.
The Tobacco-Free African American Project also sponsors programs to help smokers quit. This weekend, the group is conducting "Smoke Free Sabbath," during which baskets will be placed in houses of worship into which smokers may deposit cigarette packs, lighters, and other items for the group to collect and destroy.
And Ms. Grayson described a weekend smokers' retreat the group organizes roughly every 12 weeks, in which long-term smokers are gathered in a hotel for two days of seminars, followed by 12 weeks of group support sessions.
A referendum asking voters to approve a smoking ban in indoor public areas will be on the November ballot, Mr. Kerr said, because SmokeFreeOhio is confident it can collect enough signatures regardless of whether the state legislature approves such a question.
"This is not Prohibition," Mr. Kerr said. "We are just preventing toxic exposure. .●.●. If you want to smoke, just do it outside. Of course, we'd rather people didn't at all."
Banning smoking in public places will help discourage young people from ever taking up tobacco, Mr. Hayes said, because "children will not think this is normal behavior."
The Editors will be broadcast at 9 p.m. today on WGTE-TV, Channel 30, and at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on WBGU-TV, Channel 27.
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