[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 108 (Thursday, June 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9468-S9469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     SMOKE-FREE CLASS OF 2000 FORUM

 Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the 
following letters from students in my State be printed as a part of the 
Record. Kevin LeSaicherre and Leah Poche were youth ambassadors to the 
annual Smoke-free Class of 2000 Forum.
  The letters follow:

                                   Ponchatoula, LA, March 9, 1995.
     Hon. Bob Livingston,
     Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Livingston: This week in school I 
     learned quite a bit in regard to how hazardous smoking is to 
     my health. I am a seventh grader at St. Joseph School in 
     Ponchatoula. I heard about the Smoke-Free Class of 2000 and 
     wanted to become involved. I am writing this letter to 
     suggest that all the buildings in Louisiana become smoke 
     free. Can you assist me in this goal?
       When I go to restaurants with my family, I can still smell 
     cigarette smoke even if we sit in a non-smoking section. That 
     most likely means that my family is receiving second-hand 
     smoke. I believe that people do not deserve second-hand smoke 
     if they are not the ones smoking.
       According to a graph of high school seniors using 1993 
     information, 19\1/2\% of boys surveyed smoked and 18\1/2\% of 
     the girls surveyed smoked. This shows that many people are 
     young when they begin smoking. According to the law, most 
     seniors are not even old enough to buy cigarettes. Stores are 
     not supposed to sell cigarettes to people under the age of 
     18.
       If people cannot smoke in the buildings of Louisiana, it 
     would make it more difficult of them to smoke. Maybe that 
     would make some of them stop smoking. In addition, the non-
     smoking public would not be exposed to second-hand smoke.
       Another plan I have is to change the Surgeon General's 
     warning on the cigarette ads, cartons, and billboards. It 
     should be readable instead of being so small and all the 
     dangers and risks of smoking should be listed. Thank you for 
     your help in these matters.
           Sincerely,
     Kevin LeSaicherre.
                                                                    ____

                                  Ponchatoula, LA, March 12, 1995.
     Mayor Julian Dufreche,
     City Hall, Ponchatoula, LA.
       Dear Mr. Mayor: Hi, my name is Leah Poche'. I'm a seventh 
     grader at St. Joseph School. I would like to call your 
     attention to the obstacle facing Ponchatoula's youth. I am 
     talking about the pressure set upon us in regard to 
     cigarettes and spit-tobacco.
       Cigarettes, we have detected are harmful to our body. In 
     1965 Congress passed a law requiring packages of cigarettes 
     to have a health caution label. Since 1971 commercial ads on 
     cigarettes and spit-tobacco were banned from television and 
     radio. In 1972 manufactures agreed to include health caution 
     labels in all cigarette advertisements. In 1984 a system of 
     four different warning labels were created.
       These are all great improvements. But unfortunately people 
     just keep buying. My class has seen video after video about 
     people who smoke and do spit-tobacco. That is great, but some 
     people still think that it is a major joke. It isn't. I know 
     from former experiences that smoking anything can destroy 
     your life and the life of the people who love you. Many 
     people do not realize this until it is too late.
       My question is why. Why do people even grow tobacco? We 
     know that it is harmful to the body. So what purpose does 
     tobacco serve in life but to just destroy life.
       Many people believe that the government should raise taxes 
     on cigarettes. I have thought about this and I personally 
     believe that if this takes place that the results will 

[[Page S 9469]]
     be harmful to everyone. We do not know how far people would go to get 
     cigarettes. For example, if teenagers were not to have enough 
     money to buy the cigarettes that they would go to extreme 
     measures to obtain the money. They would start to rob people, 
     houses, and businesses. Innocent people would just get hurt. 
     Already the violence in Ponchatoula has increased. And if 
     taxes go up the violence might get totally out of control.
       Now I would like to make a suggestion to use the tax money 
     that we already receive from the purchase of cigarettes and 
     spit-tobacco to inform people more about the dangers of it's 
     use.
       I would like to thank you for your time to read this letter 
     and ask that you do something about this major problem.
           Sincerely yours,
                                              Leah Poche'.
     

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