As spring quickly turns into summer, many will notice some very small additions to many of the Presque Isle Recreation & Parks Department’s parks and facilities. Those small additions are new signs with a brief, but very important message for all who are there, “Tobacco Free Area.” In an effort to promote the Department’s vision statement which “encourages healthy lifestyles,” the Recreation & Parks Advisory Board elected to institute a “No Tobacco” policy at all of its parks and facilities. That includes all of its buildings, parks, playing fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, pools, spectator areas and even parking areas.
It is now the year 2009 and with all of the research and knowledge we now know, who can honestly deny the deadly effects tobacco has on its users? The world is changing. However slowly, we are finally realizing some of the choices we made years ago, weren’t the best choices after all. The use of tobacco is simply bad for you. No way around it. There are dozens of negative effects that range from periodontal disease, emphysema to an early death. None of them fun. The majority of the patrons at our parks, playgrounds and facilities are there because they are watching or participating in healthy activities. If we as adults cannot set a healthy example at the places where we encourage healthy activity, how can we seriously expect our kids to be healthy?
I am not sure about everyone else, but as a dad, I know my kids don’t always do as I say. Sometimes it feels like they never do what I say. However, nine times out of ten, my boys will (whether I want them to or not) do as I do. They respond to my actions more than my words. Kids are funny that way. You can tell them time and time again to clean up their room and they won’t do it. But just once, you accidently fill the house with smoke and set off all of the smoke alarms trying to fry some trout and they tell their teacher, the neighbors and a woman behind you in line at the grocery store. The old phrase “actions speak louder than words” is no more true then when it comes to kids.
By using tobacco at the ball field or playground or anywhere people go to recreate, that is telling our youth that tobacco use is OK. Is that what we really want? I don’t want to send that message to my children or to yours. We all want our children to grow up to be healthy and happy individuals, whether we personally are a tobacco user or not.
Here are a few eye opening facts about youth and smoking in the United States provided by the “Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids”:
• 90 percent of all adult smokers began smoking before they were even 18 years old.
• There are 400,000 new underage smokers each year.
• 430,000 people die each year from smoking related deaths.
• 20 percent of high school students are smokers by the time they leave high school and 1/3 of them will eventually die prematurely from smoking caused disease.
• About 15 percent of high school students currently use smokeless tobacco.
So the next time you visit our parks and facilities, please respect our tobacco free policy and enjoy your time there.
For questions or comments about this effort and or other programs through the Presque Isle Recreation and Parks Department please contact me at 764-2545 or e-mail at chrispirec@maine.rr.com. You may also check out our website at pirec.org.
