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EBNASA Unveils Community Champion Award
First Recipient Is Boston Police District A-7 for Their Work on
Tobacco
Boston, MA - East Boston Neighborhood Against Substance Abuse (EBNASA)
awarded their first Community Champion Award to Boston Police
Captain Frank Mancini and his officers at District A-7 for stopping
the illegal sale of tobacco products to youth at a local East Boston
convenience store through education and enforcement.
While it is prohibited to sell tobacco products to anyone under the
age of 18 in the United States, some store owners are either not
informed or ignoring the law. What make this so dangerous, says the
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, is that those who start smoking
young are more likely to have a long-term addiction to nicotine than
people who start smoking later in life.
CHAMPS! Left to right: Pat Milano of EBNASA, Boston
Police Captain Frank Mancini, Boston Police Officer Danny Simons,
and Andrew Kenneally of EBNASA.
Tobacco companies understand this and actively market to youth with
candy-flavored tobacco products in colorful packaging that are
sometimes placed next to candy. Despite the dangers and rules
against selling to youth, it is estimated that 6,300 Massachusetts
youth become daily smokers each year with many trying their first
cigarette in the sixth and seventh grades, or between the ages of 11
and 13.
To prevent initiation of tobacco use EBNASA is taking a
comprehensive approach: increasing smoke-free areas, reducing the
access and appeal of tobacco products, disseminating information
about smoking cessation programs, and conducting a media campaign
involving young people from around East Boston to inform adults and
young people about the influence of tobacco in East Boston.
“Given the speed in which youth can get hooked and the efforts by
tobacco companies to hook them, we need to do all we can to reduce
their access to tobacco products,” said EBNASA’s coordinator and
East Boston resident, Andrew Kenneally. “We applaud Captain Mancini
and his officers for taking this issue seriously and for their work
to make our neighborhood a safer and healthier place to live, work
and raise a family.”
For more information on EBNASA, visit: http://ebnasa.org.
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