Learn about how you can become part of Glendale's Youth Advocacy Coalition and make a difference in your own community today.
Next Meeting Date:
3:30pm - 5:00pm on Wednesday, November
1st.
Verdugo Job Center - 1255 S.
Central Ave., Glendale 91204
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Who can join? - Any concerned citizen of Glendale.
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Benefits of taking part - Help reduce tobacco access to kids in Glendale.
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How to Join: Contact Steven Gallegos
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Is there any charge to join? No - but we do hope you'll volunteer your time.
Good Day GHYA Coalition Members
and Friends;
This week I received a call from the Glendale City Manager's Office and
they said on Tuesday, Nov. 21st, the Glendale City Council will hear the
initial staff report with sample Tobacco Retail License (TRL) ordinances
and other back-up materials attached. At that time the Council members
will question city staff about certain elements of the report. Then
there will be a vote (need 3 of 5) asking staff to prepare a draft
ordinance. We (coalition members, community organizations, youth
participants, and residents) will make presentations at this time to
prove that a TRL is needed in Glendale per the Youth Purchase Survey
results (24% buy rate), the public opinion polls of Glendale residents
that demonstrate popular support, and that Glendale's neighboring cities
(Los Angeles and Pasadena) already have TRL Ordinances or are in the
process (Burbank and Sierra Madre) of having an ordinance.
The draft ordinance will be presented at a subsequent City Council
meeting - more questions - another vote, then at a third meeting the
council will be presented the final ordinance for a vote to implement.
If it passes, the ordinance is put into play 30 days later. This process
has been confirmed by the City Manager's office.
The good news: we will be up early on the Nov. 21st agenda and will be
able to have Glendale youth make presentations to members of the
Glendale City Council about how easy tobacco access is to our kids in
Glendale. Other testimony will center on the dangers of tobacco and
smoking to youth as well as your own personal stories of how tobacco use
and chronic disease have affected you, your family, or close personal
acquaintances.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this meeting notice and
update, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Background on the Glendale Health for Youth Advocacy Coalition
In 1992 Congress passed Section 1926 of Title XIX of the federal Public Health Service Act, commonly called the Synar Amendment. The Synar Amendment requires states to pass and enforce laws that prohibit the sale of tobacco to individuals under 18 years of age. It also says that up to 40% of the block grant funding can be withheld from states for not complying with the Synar Amendment.
In May 1994, the Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section (DHS/TCS) and tobacco control advocates from 23 counties throughout the state undertook an unprecedented massive effort to document how easily available tobacco products were to minors. Over 400 youth, 13-17 years of age, surveyed more than 1,800 retail stores. The results of the 1994 Youth Purchase Survey indicated that the illegal sales rate was 52.1%. From December 2005 to March 2006 the Glendale Health for Youth Advocacy Coalition organized youth volunteers to do a survey of 100 (out of the 400+) Glendale retail stores that sell tobacco products. The results of the survey showed that 24% (almost one out of four) retail locations where tobacco is sold were willing to sell tobacco products to kids attempting to buy.
Introduction
Tobacco, like alcohol, is an age-restricted product. When an alcohol retailer sells to a minor there are penalties, suspensions, and fees as a deterrent to ever do so again. There are no such penalties for retailers selling tobacco products to minors. We are seeking the advocacy and support of the Glendale Unified School District and its Board of Education to endorse a Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance in the City of Glendale. We are gathering community support for a draft ordinance and staff report that will be submitted to the Glendale City Council for their consideration and adoption. It will help guide their decision making as they consider establishing a local ordinance in the City of Glendale to license tobacco retailers. Ideally, this Ordinance will help keep tobacco out of the hands of children as it provides for penalties to retailers selling tobacco to minors.
Scientific studies funded by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA, and the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., demonstrate that most all lifelong smokers began their deadly addiction by starting to smoke when they were young teens. Starting to smoke at such an early age, when their bones, muscles, and tissue were growing to maturity and adulthood, contributed many poisonous byproducts and chemicals to their biological systems. When they reach adulthood their bodies more than ever craved those chemicals and byproducts, they introduced into their bodies as children.
Facts about Youth Tobacco Use
· More than 43,000 Californians die every year from tobacco use
- About 75% of California smokers started smoking before age 18
- The younger a person is when they start to smoke, the harder it is for him or her to quit.
Tobacco Sales to Teens
- Surveys show that teens were sold tobacco between 12% and 19% of the times they tried to buy it. These rates vary by store type and geographic location
- 60% of teens who smoke daily say it’s easy to buy cigarettes
High school smokers say they usually get their cigarettes from:
- Someone who buys cigarettes for them (e.g., shoulder tapping)
- Someone who gives cigarettes to them (e.g., family and friends)
- A retailer who sells cigarettes to them
Where Teens Buy Tobacco
- Liquor stores (71%)
- Gas stations (58%)
- Small grocery stores (51%)
- Convenience stores (49%)
They also:
- Buy in their neighborhood stores
- Lie about their age
- Buy non-tobacco items at the same time
- Say the cigarettes are for an adult
- Use a fake ID
A requirement for a tobacco retailer license will not unduly burden legitimate business activities of retailers who sell or distribute cigarettes or other tobacco products to adults. It will, however, allow the City of Glendale to regulate the operation of lawful businesses to discourage violations of federal, state, and local tobacco-related laws.
The City of Glendale has a substantial responsibility -
· in promoting compliance through the establishment of local laws regulating tobacco sales and use;
· in discouraging the illegal purchase of tobacco products by minors;
· in promoting compliance with laws prohibiting sales of cigarettes and tobacco products to minors; and most importantly,
· in protecting children from being lured into illegal activity through the misconduct of adults willing to sell these products for the sole purpose of profit.
LADPH Tobacco Control & Prevention
5 A Day for Better Health
Glendale Adventist Medical Center
LA Collaborative for Healthy Active Children