October is National Children’s Health Month and an opportunity for us to take a public health view of the future of our community and the resources needed for our kids to thrive in Malheur County. Tobacco poses risks to children’s health and development. Protecting children from tobacco smoke is critical to help them grow up as healthy as possible. Children exposed to second-hand smoke are at an increased risk of a range of diseases and are more likely to take up smoking themselves. While individual efforts are important, such as not smoking indoors or around youth, it’s also important that we look at the industry that puts our kids at risk.

Consider these facts from Smokefree Oregon and our Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (TPEP):

• The tobacco industry uses fruit- and candy-flavored products, including vapes, that appeal to youth and mask the harsh taste of tobacco, but still get them hooked on nicotine. Studies show that kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.
• The tobacco industry markets heavily to kids in the retail environment.
  • The Oregon Health Authority’s 2019 Tobacco Retail Assessment Report found that 20% of tobacco retailers in Oregon placed tobacco products within a foot of candy or toys.
  • The Oregon Health Authority’s 2019 Tobacco Retail Assessment Report also found that more than 1 in 5 tobacco retailers displayed tobacco advertising at heights of less than 3 feet.   
• Flavored vape products, such as e-cigarettes, Juul and Puff Bars, are the fastest growing tobacco product segment. Many youth today are being introduced to addictive nicotine through e-cigarettes.
• Tobacco companies know that their industry is heavily dependent on addicting kids to tobacco products: They call them “replacement smokers.” They know that if people don’t start smoking before age 18, they’re unlikely to ever start.
  • Tobacco companies aren’t just aware of this — they’re counting on it. The brain’s peak period for developing addiction starts in adolescence, and early exposure to nicotine paves a pathway for future addiction of all kinds.

To learn more, visit these excellent resources for more data:

• National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US) Office on Smoking and Health. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Reports of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US), 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK99237/.
• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “New Report Details How Tobacco Companies Have Made Cigarettes More Addictive, More Attractive to Kids and More Deadly.” Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, June 23, 2014. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press-releases/2014_06_23_report.
• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS ATTRACT KIDS: BRIEF OVERVIEW OF KEY ISSUES,” 2021. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0399.pdf. 
• Oregon Health Authority. “Assessing Oregon’s Retail Environment: Shining Light on Tobacco Industry Tactics,” 2019. https://smokefreeoregon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/TARA_StatewideRollup_2019.07.03_Accessible.pdf.