New State Law

Affects Teen Smokers

By Eliza Hallabeck

For teen smokers across the state, a new law that went into effect on October 1 could have them fined $50 or $100 for use or possession of tobacco in public areas, and in Newtown efforts are being made to help educate students.

“This looks like a golden opportunity for us to implement some education for kids who are caught with possession,” said Newtown Public Schools Health Coordinator Judy Blanchard.

All the health teachers have been apprised of the new act to help students know about it, she said.

“Also, it is a good piece for parents because it is just another reinforcement that they can use at home to reinforce that if you can’t even possess it now, there is a reason for it,” said Ms Blanchard. “It’s to protect.”

Purchasing tobacco is already illegal for minors under the age of 18 years old. Now with the new law teenagers between 18 years old and 16 years old who are caught smoking or in possession of tobacco in any form in public areas will be charged with an infraction and a fine. Handling the offense is at the discretion of the officer. For the first offence the fine is $50, and for every consecutive offence the fine is $100. If students are younger than 16 years old, the officer has the option of referring them to juvenile court, which would involve the teen’s parents. 

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, and in the country approximately 38,000 deaths are caused each year by secondhand exposure to smoking.

Also according to the National Cancer Institute, 23 percent of high school students and eight percent of middle school students in the country are current cigarette smokers.

Students caught breaking the law on school property not only can be charged with an infraction and fined if they are between the ages of 16 and 18, but the incident will be reported to an administrator, which has been the practice in Newtown schools.

 “I try to spread the word in DARE [Drug Alcohol Resistance Education], not that we assume that fifth and sixth grade students are using, but to pass it on to their family, and their older brothers and sisters,” said Newtown Police Department DARE Officer Gladys Pisani.

Ms Pisani said the school was notified by the Newtown Police Department after the law went into effect on October 1.

“We like to work together with the school, the community, and the police,” said Officer Pisani, “so we are all on board.”

According to the NHS Student Handbook, the Board of Education prohibits smoking and the use of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, or snuff, at any time by anyone in school buildings, on school property, or on transportation provided by the board.

“There are legal consequences and there are school consequences,” said Ms Blanchard, “so school consequences, putting the law aside, school consequences right now would probably be a detention for first offence.”

Smoking cigarettes in the building, according to the handbook, will result in a suspension, and students violating the rule outside the building will be assigned detentions.

“So in place of a detention where a student would sit in a room for an hour,” said Ms Blanchard, while explaining the possible course of action for students now caught smoking on the high school campus, “as a punishment we could take an opportunity to have them in place of a detention go to a class for that same amount of time, but where they would be receiving education.”

Students who are caught smoking or who are known smokers, according to Ms Blanchard, are always invited to attend the high school’s Smoke Enders class, which is a course offered to help students quit. The Smoke Enders class, which is not a scheduled class as the school, is open to students to volunteer, and it is typically offered in the early spring of the school year.

Ms Blanchard said the substance abuse counselor at NHS tries to help students who smoke by asking them questions like, “Why are you using and what are you getting out of this?” She said the answers to questions like these help students focus on the negative aspects of smoking, and it helps them to contemplate the possibility of quitting.

“That’s where we want to get our kids,” said Ms Blanchard. “Educate them, question them to the point where they would consider quitting, and then offer them the tools for them to quit.”

Both Ms Blanchard and Ms Pisani said the number of students who smoke in Newtown is down.

“I think the intent of the law was to be prevention rather than intervention,” said Ms Blanchard, “which is why we are trying to get the parents involved and the teachers involved.”

Ms Blanchard said the law is an opportunity for the schools to look at what is being done and how it can be improved on. She said it is a good chance to try to educate students one step further.

“If we can educate them and get them to change their behaviors versus losing class time, it’s a win-win,” said Ms Blanchard.