Tobacco Free NYS

This post was sponsored by Tobacco Free New York State as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions expressed in my post are my own. 

Did you know that the average age of a new smoker in New York State is 13 years old?  This is an alarming statistic, and I find it especially scary considering I have a tween.  While I have talked to my daughter a lot about the dangers of smoking, picturing kids her age smoking is disheartening.  While we have always talked to our children about tobacco use, it is also sad that there are so many kids out there who pick up smoking at a young age.

The discouraging part is the amount of money spent to entice young people to smoke.  Think about all the ways that our children are exposed to smoking.  Despite our best efforts as parents and caregivers, tobacco companies spend billions in advertising to get their products in front of kids and consumers.

Tobacco Free New York

I grew up in a family of non-smokers, and with a lot of guidance about staying away from smoking.  I can honestly say I never considered smoking, and my kids find it such a foreign concept, and I hope that they always reject the idea of smoking.

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Our family values healthy living and loves the beautiful outdoors, enjoying fresh air and having an active, healthy lifestyle.  I know people who have lost family members to a lifetime of smoking, and I can’t imagine going through that.

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When I was a kid, things were a lot different.  I remember going out to eat at a restaurant, and there would be a half wall that separated the smoking and non-smoking sections.  My family literally ate in a cloud of smoke.  It was hard to enjoy my meal, especially if I was sitting right next the smoking section.

Even when my kids were little, things were different.  People would smoke right by the door of a business, and we would have to walk through a cloud of smoke to go shopping.

It is nice that things have changed – but I would love to see tobacco ads completely out of sight.

So let’s join together to help get tobacco ads out of sight from our kids and families. That’s why I have signed the “Seen Enough Tobacco” pledge! You can help make New York State a healthier place to live, work and play by joining me in this initiative – so that our kids don’t have to be exposed to tobacco advertising!

Click here for “Seen Enough Tobacco” pledge

and help make New York a healthier place to live, work and play!

Check out the Tobacco Free New York State sites for more information: