THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609190027
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 28 lines
Recently our society has been spending a lot of time trying to convince/force those who use tobacco products to quit. Considering more than 440,000 Americans die each year from lung cancer alone, these actions are more than justified. However, time, money and precious lives would be saved if our society focused more on preventing people from becoming addicted to nicotine in the first place.
The primary way tobacco companies encourage and even glamorize the use of tobacco products is through advertisements. These advertisements can make an impression on young children and teen-agers (the age when the majority of adult tobacco users become addicted).
While tobacco companies have been banned from advertising on the television and radio, many other advertising opportunities exist. One of these opportunities is through advertising on our local Tidewater Regional Transit buses. Is this necessary?
PENTRAN, located on the Peninsula, refuses to use tobacco advertising on its buses. If TRT also discontinued using tobacco advertisements, TRT would in one way be helping to save our youth.
KAREN KRAJEWSKI
Norfolk, Sept. 7, 1996 by CNB