I thought it was members of Generation X who were supposed to be experts in procrastination.

Monday, October 04, 1999

I thought it was members of Generation X who were supposed to be experts in procrastination.

Once again, the Albert Lea City Council has proven they can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Just a week ago, the council was given the opportunity to send the youth of Albert Lea a message.

Just a week ago, they could have invested in the health of our younger residents.

Just a week ago, they said, &uot;We’ll think about it.&uot;

The City Council faced a &uot;no-brainer&uot; last Monday when a group of concerned citizens asked them to adopt a new anti-smoking ordinance aimed at young tobacco users.

The requested measure was a simple one. All it called for was adopting the guidelines of the surrounding county in an effort to stem teenage smoking.

No one was asking for house-to-house searches or restricting the rights of others. They were simply requesting the city to follow standards already set by the state and county.

The city’s current ordinance is weak; it doesn’t provide for compliance checks to make sure tobacco sellers aren’t feeding the young habits and it doesn’t prevent the use of self-serve tobacco machines.

So, why not adopt the ordinance and keep up with the times?

Is it too costly?

Not really. License fees can pay for the tobacco checks and any added cost can clearly be recouped in future savings by keeping little Johnnie from developing lung cancer and asking the state for help paying hospital bills after his lung is removed.

Perhaps the proposed ordinance isn’t needed.

If that were true, 11 out of 17 retailers tested last year wouldn’t have sold cigarettes to a minor.

Granted, the businesses are doing better, but only after being caught and facing the possibility of criminal charges.

A new, stricter ordinance will send the message to tobacco sellers that they need to know who they are selling to. They need to take responsibility.

Maybe the council simply needs to take its time to make the right decision.

Unfortunately, the youth of Albert Lea can’t afford that time.

New addicts are being created every day. New teens – and younger children – are learning to light up and starting a habit that will last the rest of their lives, however short that is.

Minnesota’s student survey shows the number of ninth-grade smokers have more than doubled in three years.

In 1995, 9.6 percent of the county’s high school freshman admitted to smoking, well under the state average of 17.5 percent. Merely three years later, 22.4 percent of local ninth-graders are regular tobacco users – now above the state average of 20.5 percent.

The time to take steps to end this rising trend is now.

There isn’t time to quibble over how the youngsters are getting cigarettes. Whether or not 12-year-olds are buying cigarettes over the counter is meaningless.

The fact is that they are getting cigarettes and it’s probably not from responsible adults.

If they aren’t buying them in the stores, it’s more likely that another, older-looking minor is providing them with a supply.

Either way, underage children are getting cigarettes that are being sold in Albert Lea.

Whether preteens are buying them from underage clerks working for tobacco sellers or from older minors trying to make a little extra &uot;cigarette money,&uot; the only important fact is they are getting them.

Unfortunately, there are two related questions.

What will the city do about it?

And, how long will it take?

Until something is done, young smokers are simply going to multiply.

Friends will get friends addicted; coworkers will instigate new habits at the workplace; older brothers and sisters will unknowingly encourage their younger siblings.

Through all this, more people will develop habits difficult to kick.

Children will start the path toward emphysema and lung cancer. Teens will begin a life-long quest of killing themselves.

Any measure the city can take to stem the rise of cigarette use is owed to its children, its future.