William J. Riordan, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent's, said the program was an outstanding example of public-private partnership. By working together we will create an important partnership of public and private sectors which will help teenagers break this habit or avoid it altogether. Swim Across the Sound Chairperson William Carroll of Stratford said the Swim's initiative with the Attorney General's office will help to address a serious health problem in Connecticut. The program doesn't ask government to do everything for us. Its success should not only stop teen-age smoking, but also change the climate of opinion that implicitly encourages smoking.
Tobacco is a gateway drug, leading to use of marijuana, cocaine and other dangerous substances.
It is one of the largest athletic fund-raising events of its type in New England. Bianchi said reaching out to teens will be another major initiative of the Swim because cigarette smoking is responsible for 80 percent of all lung cancers and 30 percent of all cancers in our country. James Connelly, Superintendent of Schools for the City of Bridgeport, represented the school systems at the press conference and said that he believed this effort should be a major help in dealing with the growing problem of teen smoking. The Superintendent said studies show that cigarette smoking is not only a major risk factor for cancer, but it almost always is the entry point into drugs for the school age population. He noted that it's rare for a teen to smoke marijuana unless he or she has first smoked a cigarette.