Young Queenslanders urged to consider the cost of smoking on Friday March 19 for annual Youth Tobacco Free Day

Alarmingly approximately 32,000 Queensland school children aged 12 to 17 years admit to smoking each week.

Among Australian teenagers, six per cent of males and around eight per cent of females aged 14 to 19 years smoke daily.

Community Services Co-ordinator at Cancer Council Queensland, Rachel Hull said these figures demonstrate the importance of informing young people about the many costs of smoking.

“Tobacco remains one of the greatest causes of preventable deaths and illness and is a cause of many types of cancer, including lung, mouth and throat cancers,” she said.

“‘How much is smoking really costing you?’ is the question young people are being asked on the eve of Youth Tobacco Free Day.

“With prices averaging around $13.50 per packet, a heavy smoker can see almost $5,000 going up in smoke every year.

“We want young people to ask themselves if they’ve got that kind of money to burn and if they’d rather a new entertainment system or an overseas holiday instead.

“It is really important for young people to see exactly how much smoking is costing them, not only by leaving them with less money, but also how it affects their health, appearance and their level of fitness.

“Deciding not to smoke is one of the best health decisions any young person can make, because the younger you start smoking the harder it is to quit,” Ms Hull said.

Smokers who want to quit can call the Quitline on 13 QUIT (13 7848) for free information, practical assistance and support.

Young people are encouraged to visit www.OxyGen.org.au before April 16 and play the interactive game ‘Scary Maths’ to go in the draw to win a range of great prizes including clothing and music vouchers.

An on-line poll on www.OxyGen.org.au is also calling for young people to have their say on whether increasing cigarette packs to $20 each would encourage them to quit smoking or prevent them from taking up smoking.

Youth Tobacco Free Day (March 19) is organised annually by the Australian Network on Young People and Tobacco, and has the aim of preventing young people aged between 10 and 25 years from taking up smoking.

Cancer Council Queensland is an independent, community-based charity. The achievements of Cancer Council Queensland are made possible by the generosity of Queenslanders.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Lyndal Bass, Senior Media Advisor, Cancer Council Queensland
Ph: (07) 3634 5372 or 0409 001 171