Photo: (Jacqueline García/Real America News) / Impremedia
Currently, it is common to see tobacco companies marketing their products offering them with sweet flavors to attract younger people.
Under their slogans “With a caramel flavor” it is easy to hook them to smoke regular cigarettes or to ‘vape’ electronic cigarettes since they come with flavors of chocolate, peach, cotton candy, strawberry, grape and up to
gummy bears.
What many young people are unaware of is that tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death.
In the city of Santa Ana, in Orange County, the effort to stop the sale of these products is increasing as their use is alarming. It is estimated that one in four high school students in the city has used electronic cigarettes in the last 30 days.
Daniella Hernández, from 17 years old, is a student at Segerstorm High School and said it is impressive to her to see that there is a tobacco store just a few feet away from your school.
“Sometimes when we get out of class we go to eat at McDonald’s and it is impossible not to see the store in the same shopping center as McDonald’s and where there is also a supermarket”, indicated the student from 12 degree.
He indicated that it is not only unpleasant in the eyes of the people who oppose to vaping and secondhand smoke, but these stores have become a negative influence on youth.
He added that seeing so many tobacco shops in the city makes him feel like the community—which is primarily Latino—isn’t worth it.
Hernández said that he recently participated in a project with the organization America On Track where they found that there are a significant number of tobacco stores located near middle and high schools.
“Unfortunately, this is also a problem for parents who, when they see something happen to their children, do not know what it is because they do not understand the language [inglés] ”, he explained.
Eder Ló fish, aged 18 and another young man who advocates against the use of these chemicals, said he constantly provides information on this topic to students at his Foothill High School. However, he confesses that there are students who accept it but others are not interested.
“We have seen this more [uso de tabaco de sabores] in the sports department, the students see that someone does it and they try to fit in”, said the young man who is in the grade 12. “Many of those who ‘vape’ no longer want to hear about the problems it causes.”
López said he also very close to their school there is a tobacco shop.
The young people indicated that they have never smoked in their lives but that they are aware that this problem is growing in their communities and they want to be part of the change.
Both are part of the campaign Santa Ana Fights Flavors dedicated to stopping the use of flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes in the city.
Next Tuesday 18 in January, the town hall of Santa Ana is scheduled to vote on an ordinance that seeks to ban the sale of flavored tobacco in the city.
Affecting children
Hernández said he first heard about the use of cig electronic devices when I was in middle school. She said that there were rumors that the boyfriend of a classmate would come to sell them to the students, who on average had between 12 to 14 years.
“I didn’t know anything about that and I thought it was normal”, he said.
Lopez also recounted the first time he heard about students vaping in middle school.
“The children went to the bathrooms to smoke and one saw them but didn’t say anything… I didn’t know what it was, but I did know it was something strange and my mom taught me that anything you smoke is not good for your health.”
Hernández indicated that in the high school has seen classmates with electronic cigarettes, who are unaware of the long-term effects. They have told you that they feel comfortable vaping or smoking after seeing celebrities or influencers do it.
“They they say: ‘It’s okay to do it because others are doing it’ but they don’t know that this can affect their health”, said the young woman.
An analysis showed that the same chemicals used in sweet-tasting cigarettes and tobacco products are also used in popular candy and beverage products such as LifeSavers, Jolly Ranchers and Kool-Aid, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Nielsen data showed that the 47.5% of all cigarettes sold in the first half of 2020 had flavor. The five most popular brands of cigarettes among young people in 12 to 17 years are Swisher Sweets, Black & Mild, Backwoods, White Owl and Dutch Masters, all of which come in a variety of flavors.
These products often have colorful packaging and are much cheaper than the pure ones. For example, cigarettes can be priced as low as 3 or 4 per 99 cents, which makes them even more attractive to price-sensitive youth, says the organization Tobacco-Free Kids, which fights to prevent youth tobacco use.
Where to ask for help
There are different entities willing to help young people to quit addiction. If you live in Orange County you can get more information and support by calling the hotline at 1-900-NEW -LUNG (1-900-639-5864) or by visiting www.1866newlung.com
Other networks help are Tobacco-Free Kids (tobaccofreekids.org) and Kick it California (kickitca.org)