Handsel Art
22 October 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
contact J.R. Few
or 870-427-1365
Advocates Object to Toy Cigarettes
The tobacco industry spends $12.8 billion marketing annually in the U.S. but sometimes the least expensive marketing opportunities come from unlikely sources. Hollie Pierce, Coordinator for Tobacco Free Boone County in north central Arkansas, never imagined that her local book store would be glamorizing tobacco with toy cigarettes (pictured). But that is exactly what she found in the novelty pen section at the Books A Million store in Branson, MO recently.
“Marketing novelty cigarette pens just feet from the children’s book section sends a truly irresponsible message. The greatest part of our public health challenge is to de-normalize tobacco use,” says Pierce. 90% of the over 440,000 Americans who die from tobacco use started as children.
Knowing that children want to emulate adult behavior and making tobacco less appealing to youth are major steps in preventing addiction to nicotine.
Pierce is encouraging her colleagues in tobacco prevention and anyone to express their dismay for such thoughtless marketing by contacting Books A Million at feedback@booksamillion.com. She notes that retailers often just never realize the potential harm but, “What we may think of as a simple ink pen, may actually encourage youth and adults to smoke.”
Books A Million is the country’s third largest book retailer and operates over 200 stores in the Midwest and Southeast.
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