Know the Facts

• Tobacco advertising is most commonly found in convenience stores-- where 3 out of 4 teens shop every week.
  
  
• In NYS, retail stores average 5 exterior and 21 interior tobacco ads.
  
  
• Teens are more likely to be influenced by cigarette advertising than by peer pressure.
  
  
• Kids are more than twice as likely as adults to notice and remember retail tobacco advertising.
  
  
• Tobacco companies spend more than $13 billion on retail advertising and promotion -- a successful strategy for hooking young smokers.

(See campaign fact sheet with complete citations here.)

• Sign a petition to end tobacco advertising to kids.
  
  
• Contact your local legislators. Ask them to support a resolution to reduce or eliminate tobacco advertising in retail stores. See who's already signed a resolution in the Capital Region.
  
  
• Ask your local grocery, convenience store, or other retail outlet to reduce or eliminate tobacco advertising. See how.
  
  
• Join our local e-mail campaign to get tobacco advertising out of local stores.
  
  
• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about why tobacco advertising is harmful to young people. For information on how to submit a letter to the main Capital District daily and weekly newspapers, go here. We've also prepared a few sample letters to the editor to help you get started.
  
  
• Learn more about the harmful effects of tobacco advertising on teens.
  
  
• If you are a retail store owner, take action and reduce, rearrange or eliminate YOUR tobacco advertising.