As an educator, I an concerned about the rising rate of tobacco use among children in South Dakota. The schools can do much more to educate children about the dangers of tobacco, but we need the help of parents, the community, and law enforcement to be successful. And they learn by example, an example set by adults and their peers. We know we can t keep every child from becoming addicted to tobacco, but we simply cannot accept the growing rates of tobacco addiction. We ve got to do a better job of changing the environment in which they live -that means tackling the problem on all fronts.
Parents can t do it alone and neither can the schools.
HB 1243, the South Dakota Tobacco-Free Kids Network proposal is a big step in the right direction. It would provide the funding to develop a meaningful, comprehensive program designed to get results. Healthy kids should be our priority and it only makes sense to use a significant portion of the tobacco money to keep our children from an addiction that not only affects them, but everyone around them. I ve noticed that more kids are smoking these days. And as a parent, I m working hard to educate my children about the dangers of smoking.