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"What's in Store for Our Kids" Campaign

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Frequently Asked Questions
Impact on Youth


What are the objectives of the campaign?
The objective of this campaign is to educate New Yorkers on the prevalence and impact that tobacco products and point-of-sale marketing efforts have on youth smoking initiation.

Why is it important to have a campaign such as this?
In 2006, the tobacco industry spent $1.1 million per day to market its products in New York. A portion of this pays licensed tobacco retailers to put their products in the most visible locations in the store. Children are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer pressure.

What is the impact on youth? | Download Impact on Youth (PDF) for more information.

* Young people are almost twice as likely as adults to recall tobacco advertising. * Tobacco advertising targets the psychological needs of adolescents, such as popularity, peer acceptance and positive self-image. * Studies show that exposure to cigarette advertising causes nonsmoking adolescents to initiate smoking and to move toward regular smoking. * Tobacco product advertising and display in stores gives youth the impression that tobacco products are easily accessible.

The campaign mentions the cost to taxpayers; how much is spent annually on tobacco related illness in NYS?
New York State spends $8.17 billion annually on healthcare costs directly related to smoking; $5.4 billion is the portion covered by the state's Medicaid program. The state and federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures on New York State residents is $894 per household.

What is the anticipated impact of this campaign on tobacco retailers?
Retailers will be more aware of the role they play in youth smoking initiation, and become more responsible community businesses by removing the point-of-sale advertising and keeping tobacco products out of view. The health and wellbeing of our youth is what is most important to the growth and vitality of our state.

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