By Kelsey VanArsdall, The Republic Reporter
Just over 51 percent of teenagers say they’ve smoked at one point in their life, according to survey information compiled by the Indiana Youth Institute.
And 14 percent claim they smoke regularly.
Of course, also according to the study, more than 60 percent of teens report that their friends would disapprove of the nasty habit.
So how will the city’s no-smoking ordinance affect the lives of these teens?
Teachers from Columbus East and North high schools hope it’s not too much. That’s because they hope the student smoking population has dwindled to begin with.
“We used to have groups of students that would stand outside the school property,” said Steve Gobert, health department chair at North.
“Ya know, it was known as Cancer Corner. But they can’t do that anymore.”
Gobert said he still sees a small group of students on the premises, but nothing that matches former numbers.
“I mean, if you think of the 1,900 or so students we have at North and there’s just that small percentage smoking,” said Gobert.
According to the survey, the habit starts at a young age. More than 14 percent of sixth-graders reported that they’d smoked at some point in their life, with just over 1 percent smoking regularly.
That number increases by 6.4 percent by Grade 9.
In a survey conducted in 2003, 32 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 19 and 20 percent of mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 reported smoking during their pregnancy.
Gary Young, health coordinator at East, said the health classes present a unit on tobacco.
“The theme is making choices and we talk about risky behaviors and preventative choices,” Young said.
The hook-up
Gobert believes most teens obtain cigarettes from 18-year-old students or find store clerks that are willing to either bend or unknowingly overlook the no-tobacco-for-under-18 law.
“Students that want to smoke will find a way,” he said.
“They know where to go.”