Why is youth prevention important?
According to Health Canada, tobacco use initiation occurs under the age of 18 for 85% of regular smokers. According to an article in the journal Tobacco Control (DiFranza, 2000) symptoms of addiction can appear in weeks or only days after occasional smoking begins in 12-13 year olds. In 1994/1995, the smoking rates were 28.5% for the age range 15–19, and 35.5% for the age range 20-24. Since the release of the New Directions for Tobacco Control in Canada : A National Strategy, in 1999, the smoking rates have dropped. In 2001, these rates were at 22.5% and 32.1%, respectively. This reduction can be attributed in part to youth prevention programs and more global interventions, such as increases in price through taxation. These programs are helping reduce the rates of initiation, thereby preventing the hazardous outcomes to health, and the difficult task of quitting. Quitting is a difficult task. In 2004, 17% of Canadian smokers contemplated quitting, and 9% prepared themselves to quit; bu
