23 students met with members of New York State legislature to speak out against the tobacco industry
Goshen, N.Y. (February 13, 2020) – The American Lung Association and 23 members of John S. Burkes Reality Check club traveled to Albany on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, to attend the annual Legislative Day at the New York State Capitol building and discussed with lawmakers about the success of the state’s Tobacco Control Program at lowering the average smoking rate to 12.8 percent and about the unmet needs in tobacco control efforts, particularly among youth and certain communities. Youth from across New York state represented its various comprising counties; Burke Catholic students represented Orange County at the event.
The students, which included Chris Zacatelco, Arianna White, Sophia Aulogia, Madison Nurse, Megan Rivera, Isabella Dushaj, Chanju Kim, Alyssa Smith, Adrianna Pratti, Boyoon Han, Eve Zhang, Julia Ward, Eunbin Kim, Larissa Nothnagle, Annie Dwyer, Emma DeRosa, Ayslynn Castro, Cheawon Kim, Youbeen Oh, Eonbi Choi, Nia Garcia and Alley Redd. They were accompanied by Kathleen Kish a school nurse at the High School, Katie Conroy a guidance counselor at the school and Carissa Jachcinski, the Program Manager for POW’R Against Tobacco a program of the American Lung Association.
At the event, students had the opportunity to meet with various members of the New York State legislature, including Assemblyman Colin Schmitt, Senator Jen Metzger, and Senator James Skoufis who represent Orange County. During the meetings, they stressed that cigarette smoking among high school youth statewide declined 82 percent between 2000 and 2018, but e-cigarette use by high schoolers continues to rise, now at 27 percent. In contrast, only 3.8 percent of adult New Yorkers use e-cigarettes. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of 12th graders use e-cigarettes statewide. Research shows that youth who use e-cigarettes are four times more likely to start smoking conventional cigarettes than their peers who do not vape.
“I am honored with the opportunity to meet with our state legislators to discuss the harm of tobacco and the industries influence on youth. Thank you to all the members of Reality Check across NYS for their work exposing the tobacco industry and share the truth,” said Chris Zacatelco a Junior at John S. Burke and 3-year member of the Reality Check Club.
Other members like Annie Dywer and Alyssa Smith agreed with the sentiment. “Meeting with our state legislators was a great experience. Speaking in person and sharing our experience with the people at the forefront of this crisis is a big step for us in the war against tobacco,” said Annie Dwyer a Senior and 4-year member of Reality Check. “It was great speaking to our Senators and Assembly-members about our concerns with teen vaping has empowered me to help my community as much as I can. The experience has made me a better leader amongst my peers and a memorable experience,” said Alyssa Smith a Junior and 3-year member of Reality Check.
In addition to the meetings, Assemblyman Schmitt took the time to take the students on to the floor of the chambers and educate the students on the legislative process.
“Here in New York State, we have made great strides to end teen smoking, but new products threaten to undo this progress,” said Jachcinski. “It is the amazing voices of the youth at John S. Burke High School and across the state that will address the social acceptability of tobacco in our communities. While 2018 was the first year for teen smoking to increase since 2000, I am sure with the dedication and hard work of this group we can create the first tobacco-free generation, address smoking related health disparities and inequities, reduce youth exposure to tobacco marketing, and increase the availability of tobacco-free outdoor spaces.”
While at the Capitol, over 30 youth from John S. Burke’s Reality Check group talked with lawmakers about work being done in their local communities and provided an interactive display in The Well of the Legislative Office Building, revealing the true facts behind Big Tobacco’s misleading marketing.
“I first met students from Burke Catholic High School’s Reality Check Club at the Great American Vape-Out they organized at their school in November and was thrilled to welcome them to Albany this week! These young leaders are doing a fantastic job raising awareness among their peers about the health risks of vaping, and I’m proud to let them know that the New York State Senate stands with them in protecting our youth from harmful products that are being marketed to them” said Senator Jen Metzger.
Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley) said, “Special thanks to the energetic group of young activists from Orange County who I met with to discuss how we can better legislatively address stopping big tobacco from taking advantage of our kids.”
Assemblyman Colin J. Schmitt (R,C,I-New Windsor) stated, “It was a pleasure to meet with students from the John S. Burke Reality Check Club and give them the opportunity to experience the Assembly chamber floor and learn more about the legislative process. Youth involvement and advocacy is a critical component in curbing the vaping epidemic and I commend these students for their efforts! I will continue to work on community-based and legislative efforts to address this issue.”
Higher smoking rates among certain communities
“The adult smoking rate in NYS is currently 12.8%, an 82% decline since our work began in 2000. However, there are certain groups that smoke at double that rate, such as those living with frequent mental distress, adults enrolled in Medicaid and adults who are unemployed. Mental health status shouldn’t determine smoking status, but often it does. The NYS tobacco control program has both local and statewide support programs in place to assist any person who is interested in quitting smoking”, said Susan Lennon, Tobacco Program Manager for the Center for a Tobacco-Free Hudson Valley.
The Costs of Tobacco Use in New York State
Annual health care costs directly caused by smoking in the state are $10.39 billion. This expense results in a tax burden of $1,410 for each household every year.vi There are 28,200 deaths in New York State each year due to smoking, and thousands who are living with illnesses related to tobacco use.
The CDC recommends a $203 million annual investment in New York State’s Tobacco Control Program; the state’s investment is $39 million.vii
The NYS Tobacco Control Program is made up of a network of statewide contractors who work on Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities, which includes Community Engagement and Reality Check, the Health Systems for a Tobacco-Free New York, the NYS Smokers’ Quitline and Surveillance and Research. Their efforts are leading the way toward a tobacco-free society. For more information, visit TobaccoFreeNYS.org, TobaccoFreeNY.org and NYSmokeFree.Com.
To learn more about John S. Burke Catholic High School, visit www.BurkeCatholic.com.
