Youth Tobacco
One step to making North Dakota smoke-free is to get young people interested in the issue…
That’s what is going on at the Bismarck Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit.
Students from St. Mary’s and all Bismarck Public Schools hear how they can help reduce second hand smoke. Andy Berndt is an advocate for 100 percent smoke free worksites in Minnesota.
He says there’s a reason young people need to get involved in the discussion…
Andy Berndt “The young people of ND are the people who will most be impacted by smoke free laws – so getting them interested in the issue is important because those people will get the most benefit from this. They may be working in a place that has smoking making those changes now will affect them for the rest of their life.”
Berndt says it’s a myth that restaurants and bars will loose business by going smoke-free.
He says since the change in Minnesota 77% of all residents say it’s been a great idea.
North Dakota’s Comprehensive State Plan to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use sets a goal of having 100 percent of all public and work places smoke free by 2013.
