"It is important to know as much as possible about teenage smoking patterns and attitudes. Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer . . . 1981 Philip Morris market research report on young smokers. . : . Each day, about 4,000 kids try their first cigarette; and each day another 1,000 other kids under 18 years of age become new regular, daily smokers. Thats 416,000 new underage daily smokers each year. . : . 90 percent of all adult smokers begin while in their teens, or earlier, and nearly two-thirds become regular, daily smokers before they reach the age of 19. . : . The cigarette companies spend more than $15.1 billion each year to promote their deadly products that's more than $41 million spent every day to market cigarettes, and much of that marketing directly reaches and influences kids. . : . More than 6.3 million children under age 18 alive today will eventually die from smoking-related disease, unless current rates are reversed. Source: CDC, State Highlights 2006. . : . 440,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses every year, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

Dear Publisher:

I was shocked to see tobacco advertisements in your publication since I know that many of your readers are kids.

I am writing to you because I believe we all have an obligation to protect our kids from tobacco addiction. As publisher of a magazine with so many youth readers, you can play an important role by adopting a policy of not accepting tobacco advertising. Such a policy would deny the tobacco industry an opportunity to target kids with images that falsely portray smoking as glamorous and cool.

The tobacco industry knows that nearly 80% of smokers start in their teens or earlier, so reaching potential customers while they are young is critical to the industry’s future. Advertising in youth-oriented magazines such as yours helps the industry lure vulnerable teens to their deadly products.

Tobacco companies spend billions of dollars to produce and market products that kill at least 400,000 Americans every year. This year nearly than 416,100 of our kids will become regular smokers. That is 416,100 kids too many. In New York State alone nearly 24,900 kids will become daily smokers this year.
Please don't allow Big Tobacco to use your magazine to reach our children. I hope that you will act quickly to adopt a policy of not accepting any tobacco advertising.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
(your name)













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