Not a Drag After All : Students Rally Against Smoking Despite Missing Clinton’s Call

SANTA ANA — Students who gathered at Century High School to participate in a national tobacco-awareness program Tuesday missed a phone call from President Clinton but decided to make the best of it: They will send him a letter detailing their activism and inviting him to their hometown.

Santa Ana was one of 12 cities nationwide chosen to participate in a conference call with the president Tuesday as part of the first Kick Butts Day, dedicated to raising awareness of underage smoking.

Because the president, speaking from a New Jersey high school, kicked off the event early, about three dozen Santa Ana Unified School District students and administrators heard only the president’s closing remarks when they put his call on a speaker phone.

“That was really disappointing,” said Century High student Ben Mendoza, who made the call to the president. “That really brought me down. But we made a great comeback.”

Santa Ana was chosen to participate after local anti-tobacco activist Jim Walker informed a Kick Butts Day campaign sponsor about the Santa Ana students’ activism. Over the years, they have put tobacco industry symbol “Mr. Butts” on mock trial, marched in the Great American Smokeout and conducted a survey of local stores that found a quarter of the stores displayed cigarettes alongside candy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 3 million teenagers in the United States smoke 1 billion packs of cigarettes a year; a University of Michigan study found that nationwide, 19% of high school seniors smoke.

Clinton said 3,000 adolescents start smoking every day and that statistics show a third will die because of it.

Although Santa Ana activists did not have the opportunity to relay their information to the president, Colorado Gov. Roy Romer spoke on their behalf during the conference call.

“The students there are participating in a series of activities,” Romer told the president, “and talking with community professionals about the problems of tobacco use in that area.”

Once Santa Ana activists realized that they had missed the call, they decided to list their achievements and concerns about tobacco on a bulletin board. School district spokeswoman Lucinda Hundley plans to include the thoughts in a letter to the president signed by the students.

During the hourlong brainstorming session, students and administrators listed a number of concerns, some of them born of personal experience.

One student was bothered that his 6-year-old sister purchased candy cigarettes; others said that real cigarettes often are placed on counter tops visible to children. One student said he saw a vendor from a produce truck sell cigarettes to a minor.

Mendoza said he began smoking almost two years ago to deal with the stress of family and school but quit the habit four months ago after he saw an uncle die of cancer.

“I couldn’t stand the smell [of cigarette smoke] anymore; I couldn’t handle it,” he said.

Mendoza, 17, said he does not plan to stop his tobacco-awareness efforts when he leaves high school: “I would like to join politics.”

Raising awareness of underage smoking has become a minor campaign theme for Clinton as he attempts to take the high ground from Republicans, who in the past have been associated with “family values” issues.

Campaign spokesman Joe Lockhart said that by focusing on issues such as underage smoking and school uniforms, Clinton is “emphasizing our values and what is important in our families and our communities.”

An official with the Tobacco Institute, an umbrella group for cigarette manufacturers, dismissed the president’s remarks as campaign politics.

National Kick Butts Day was sponsored by a number of organizations, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Children’s Crusade Against Tobacco and the New York City Public Advocate office.

Clinton’s participation in the daylong series of events in New Jersey was considered a campaign stop and paid for with campaign funds.