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There are 4000 chemicals in tobacco
smoke. More than 50 of them can
cause cancer. |
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Smoking causes heart disease, lung disease and
cancer. |
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Tobacco kills 12,000 people in Ontario
and costs our health care
system more than $1.1 billion each year. |
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Kids and Smoking: |
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Past Year Cigarette Smoking
- 14% of all students report smoking in the past year. This represents about 139,700 students in grades 7 to 12 across Ontario .
- Males (14%) and females (15%) are equally likely to smoke.
- Smoking increases with grade level, from 2% of 7 th -graders; 6% of 8 th -graders; 13% of 9 th graders;18% of 10 th -graders; and peaking in 11 th - (24%) and 12 th -grade (23%).
- Students in Northern Ontario (20%) are most likely to smoke, and those in Toronto (13%) and the East (11%) are least likely. Students in the West (17%) fall in between.
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Cigarette Purchasing Behaviour
- In 2005, 6% of underage students successfully purchased cigarettes at a retail outlet in the 4 weeks before the survey. Purchasing varied by age: 2% of students aged 15 and under, and
- 12% of students aged 16 to 18 years, were able to purchase cigarettes.
- Cigarettes are equally likely to be purchased at corner stores (6%), restaurants, gas stations and bars (5%), and supermarkets (5%). ( Ontario Student Drug Use Survey 2005)
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13% of Ontario youth age 15-19 are smokers (smoking in the last 30 days) "Indicators of Smoke-Free Ontaio Progress" OTRU 2006 |
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Thae availability of tobacco and the willingness of kids to share tobacco with each other are important environmental factors that have a strong influence on whether or not kids will start smoking. |
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Research shows that kids get their tobacco most
often from their friends. Peers and friends are a strong influence
on whether or not kids start smoking. |
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To change these numbers, not only do we need to
decrease retail sales to youth
but we need to ensure that other
sources such as friends, family and strangers
do not exist.
We need to change the way we think about youth and tobacco,
so that supplying tobacco to youth is not acceptable. |
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Kids start smoking on average at 12 years old,
however, if they haven't started smoking by age 20, chances
are they never will! |
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Smoking is Addictive: |
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Kids get addicted to smoking if they can get cigarettes
easily. |
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Smoking is more addictive than cocaine or heroin |
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Once hooked a person will smoke for an average
of 35 years. |
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The Smoke-Free Ontario Act (SFO Act): |
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The SFO Act helps to protect the health of
our kids by preventing the sale and supply of tobacco to anyone
under 19 and by creating smoke-free schools and public places. |
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Under the SFO Act , it is against the law to:
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Sell cigarettes to kids under 19. |
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Buy cigarettes for kids under 19. |
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Give cigarettes to kids under 19 |
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| You and Your Community: |
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If you are a tobacco retailer, you can help prevent
kids from smoking.
Do not sell tobacco to anyone under 19. |
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If a young person approaches you to buy them cigarettes,
don't buy them.
You could be charged. |
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Report stores selling or persons supplying cigarettes
to kids under 19 to your
local
public health agency. |
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