EDITORIAL - Campion kicking butts for a cause

Keeping children away from cigarettes was the aim of Wednesday's Kick Butts Day, which is observed annually round the world. Locally, it was the students at the prestigious Campion College in Kingston who paid particular attention to this event. This is the fifth year Campion is taking part in Kick Butts Day, which was first celebrated 19 years ago.

Although the event did not attract national support, we feel that it is commendable for youth to become advocates of their own health by encouraging each other to remain tobacco-free and adopt healthy lifestyles. Such efforts will redound to the overall benefit of Jamaica.

We believe a great marketing opportunity was missed by other schools. By participating in exhibitions and other displays associated with the day, they would have been seeding the minds of students with the idea that choices made today could have a great impact on their future.

Jamaica has made great strides in the fight against tobacco use with the enactment of anti-smoking legislation, which forbids smoking in public places and spaces.

There are slick pro-tobacco advertising campaigns aimed at youth. There is statistical evidence that most persons would have tried their first cigarette by age 18. Young minds are impressionable and curious teenagers like to experiment, so it is significant that they should learn about the implications of picking up a bad habit like smoking.

IT STARTS WITH A PUFF

Campion College sixth-former Melissa Lalah explains that "it only starts with a puff", the theme selected for this year. According to her, that one puff could lead to the impoverishment of a country and the deterioration of the nation's health.

Smokers and those around them are negatively impacted by a habit that is ranked as the number-one cause of premature death. And there is substantial evidence that a nation's health-care facilities are vastly stressed by the need to care for smokers who become afflicted with a number of ailments, including lung cancer and those with asthma and other respiratory problems that are aggravated by smoke inhalation.

So even with legislation, the effectiveness of the public education route in changing attitudes towards smoking cannot be overlooked. We believe that it is through education that many of our young people will make better personal choices as they try to navigate the teenage years into adulthood.

Indeed, we suggest an extension of such an initiative that would make every day a Kick Butts Day in our schools and various communities whereby children will set their faces against violence, gang activity, and other antisocial behaviours.

The last words are reserved for parents. We cannot ignore the important parental responsibility to guide their children. An unfortunate culture has been allowed to spread in Jamaica where some parents don't see themselves as part of the solution to the many ills that affect their children. Many have developed a largely hands-off attitude towards their children's education and development. This needs to change - and quickly!

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.