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Students at Shalom High School joined a national movement on March 18. They came together to “Take Down Tobacco.” Take Down Tobacco is a national action led by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, where young people stand up to the tobacco industry’s tactics of luring kids with candy and other flavored vapes. Traditionally celebrated one day each year, this year the Campaign is organizing events for youth across the country over a 100-day-period.
The students at Shalom said vaping was a major problem for people their age. Most said their peers vaped because they were stressed out. Others said it is the flavors that entice kids. During their Take Down Tobacco event they learned about disparities in tobacco use, why the disparities exist and how the tobacco industry has targeted them and their communities.
Darian Riley said he learned that day about how much tobacco was really harming the community.
“It’s killing millions and millions while the tobacco while the tobacco companies are profiting off our deaths in the community,” he said.
Riley said he always had an understanding of what tobacco was and how it could affect him.
“But after going through everything that happened today and actually learning, I’m really going to try and stay as far away from [tobacco] as much as I can.”
Student Morgan Smith said she decided to participate in Take Down Tobacco because she wanted to help other teenagers come together and be able to stop using tobacco.
“It’s not safe for teenagers to be using,” she said.
She said information about tobacco needs to be shared more in the community, especially to teenagers.
“So they could understand how serious it is and how it could cause lung cancer.”
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