In 1996 we asked our borough council to help us protect kids by banning tobacco vending machines, self service displays, and to limit outdoor tobacco ads. We also asked them to enforce the law that prohibits the sale of tobacco products to minors and to make public places smoke-free.

We're sorry to say that in the past four years things haven't changed much in our town, except that most of the vending machines are gone.

When we go to our local diner, we still breathe air that's polluted with tobacco smoke. Self-service displays continue to make it easy for kids to buy and steal cigarettes at stores and gas stations. Tobacco ads are still seen all over town. Some can be seen from blocks away! Many tell kids that they should smoke if they want to "B Kool".

Sometimes we get discouraged, but we're not giving up. We see other towns passing ordinances to protect kids and we want to see more done in our town. So through the years we've tried to make changes by getting signatures on petitions and through taking surveys.

In 1996 we collected 500 signatures of residents who want cigarettes placed behind the counter. Five signatures were from council members.

We've also taken surveys at our school to see how many students are smoking, where they're getting their cigarettes from, and if they know how dangerous smoking is. The surveys are anonymous, (kids don't put their names on the forms) so we hope they're being honest with their answers.

In 1996 17% reported that they smoked. In Feb. 2000, that number was down to 11.4%! In sixth grade only one student out of 83 reported to smoke, while in the eighth grade that number went up to 15 students who smoke out of 83. (18%) The results of the last survey makes us happy to know that fewer kids in our school smoke than four years ago. But we know there's still a lot of work to do.

The students reported that they are still able to get cigarettes in town from stores and gas stations. We learned one of the easiest ways for kids in our school to get cigarettes is from gas station attendants at a local Seven Eleven store. They give young gas station attendants money to buy the cigarettes for them.

The school survey also told us that 96% of the students believe smoking is harmful;  74% know someone who's been harmed by smoking;  95% believe breathing in the smoke from someone else's cigarette is harmful, 77% believe people shouldn't be allowed to smoke in public places, and 57% live with a parent or an older brother or sister who smokes.

We plan to go to our local newspaper with the results.