Standing in front of Fairfax High School, a group of elected officials and health leaders blasted the tobacco industry Monday for its aggressive efforts to get young people to smoke flavored cigars, which are not covered by FDA regulations. Congressman Henry Waxman, whose office put together the event, said that 20 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 now smoke cigars of all kinds. He called this a “disturbing trend.” Waxman and the group, which included Lori Vollandt, Title IV, Safe and Drug Free Schools at the Los Angeles Unified School District, called on the FDA to close the regulatory and tax loopholes that have allowed the tobacco company campaign to proceed. When she spoke, Vollandt pointed out a smoke shop located on Melrose Avenue, across the Fairfax campus, as an example of the challenges facing the District as it tries to reduce smoking among teenagers. “At LAUSD, we start in kindergarten identifying smoking messages aimed at kids,” said Vollandt. She also said the most effective prevention methods are communicated from student to student. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said, “It’s the health implications that motivate all of us…I want these young kids behind me, first of all never to touch a cigarette. To do this we need to discourage use, regulations and to punish the tobacco industry for violating the law.”
(By: LAUSD Media Relations)
