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SGR 4 KIDS
The Surgeon General's Report for Kids about Smoking
Smoke-Free Coast To Coast
Kids everywhere are banding together to stamp out
tobacco. Let's travel coast-to-coast and see what kids are doing.
Huntington Park, California
 Angie Yocupicio broke the law
lucky for her she was working with the police
department when she did it! Angie was part of a "sting operation" to prove how
easily kids can buy cigarettes. She walked into a store and boldly asked for a pack
or
a carton! Even though she was 15 at the time, "I was rarely turned down," she
says. "They sold it to me gladly." The health agency that sponsored the sting
hopes stores will get the message and obey the law. Today, all 50 states and Washington,
D.C., prohibit stores from selling tobacco to kids under 18.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
It's
amazing what kid power and a little peanut butter and jelly can accomplish! Last
year, 350 students packed the New Mexico state capitol to talk to their lawmakers about
passing a law that would make it illegal to sell tobacco to kids under 18. They even
brought the lawmakers
p.b.&j. sandwiches to lunch on! A month later, the law passed.
Marmath, North Dakota
 What can just two kids do? Plenty, it turns out, when the two are Justin Fischer and
Eric
Sonsalla! The only students in their grade (the whole school has only 32 students),
they wanted to make their school smoke-free. Eric, age 11, admits he was "pretty
nervous" when they shared this idea with the school board. But the board agreed that
smoking stinks and now nobody can smoke at Marmath Public School. "It was a really
fun experience," Eric says.
 Belvidere, Illinois
Students at the Perry Elementary School think magazines read by kids should
not print tobacco ads. So they picked some magazines including Sports Illustrated and
Hot Rod from the school library and wrote letters to the editors, asking them to stop
running these ads. When the editors didn't write back, the library canceled the
subscriptions.
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
 "Sometimes adults think kids don't know what they're talking about," says
George Vega, 17. But George can tell grown-ups a thing or two about tobacco advertising
and he did! His group, HORA (Hispanics On the Rise Again), took a survey of cigarette
billboards in his hometown. They found there were more signs in Hispanic neighborhoods
than anyplace else. "They put billboards 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 billboards," says George, "and replace
them with ones for milk or vegetables something healthy and positive for kids."
Sean Donahue
Boston, Massachusetts
"Read my lips don't smoke!" With TV and newspaper reporters looking on,
Sean Donahue heard his voice ring out across the lawn of the Massachusetts statehouse.
More than 100 kids waving banners and signs that read "FRESH AIR" and
"SMOKING STINKS" let out a giant roar. "It was exciting," says
Sean, remembering his first antismoking rally.
But Sean did more than just talk. After his rousing speech, he led a parade of
wagons to the state capitol. The wagons were filled with petitions asking the Secretary of
State to raise the state tobacco tax by 25 cents. (According to the Surgeon General,
cigarette taxes save lives because high prices make many people stop smoking.)
The hard work gathering those petitions paid off: Massachusetts voters approved the
law raising the tax.
Sean was asked to speak at the rally because he's a celebrity in Boston even
though he's only 14! He appears weekly on a WBZ radio show called "Kid Company"
and even landed a guest spot on "The Tonight Show."
All the attention isn't going to his head, though. He's still a down-to-earth guy
who cares about kids. "I'm not just saying this to get publicity I'm concerned
about what's going on," he says. "Kids have to lay off smoking, because it can
really ruin their bodies and their lives."
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