GET INVOLVED

See why others support CounterBalance, then write and share your own reason below.

Encouraging kids to smoke a vape is so wrong!!! I'm a smoker of 40+ years and it's impossible to quit!

Katy Valdez

_{St. Johnsbury}

I am concerned because many of my students do not think flavored tobacco or tobacco in general is a concern.

Emily Gunn

_Rutland

As a concerned parent, I feel all tobacco products and especially flavored/candied tobacco is underhanded and unacceptable.

Tina Martin

_Woodstock

I know a lot of people who began vaping because of the flavors and I don't want to see the youth of my state being misled into addiction.

Nickolas Stapleton

_Perkinsville

Please don't have these products where my grandchildren can see them in the stores

Efstathiou Laura

_Windsor

I am super concerned about flavored tobacco products - especially ecigs. It is awful that kids are being marketed to like that.

Beth Haysleti

_Bethel

It encourages students to start smoking.

Pat Gelo

_Derby

As a new parent, I do not want my boys to have to grow up surrounded by products that are so bad for their health.

Sara Zaino

_Peru

It's causing all kinds of illness and that's killing all kinds of people.

Kynzie Smith

_Springfield

Because I feel these products are marketed to young children who don't understand the health risk of said product.

Rosie DeCamp

_{Bellows Falls}

Grooming teens as tobacco users is wrong.

Andy Jackins

_Townshend

They encourage kids to try deadly tobacco products.

Julie Sweet

_Swanton

I'm concerned about flavors that appeal to kids. I'm also concerned about advertising to kids and the kids thinking vaping is cool.

Jeannete Boos

_Wilmington

I don't like that kids are getting addicted at a young age!

Rosie Senna

_Burlington

They are a gateway to addiction and are being marketed to youth.

Cheryl Chandler

_{West Danville}

Tobacco can damage your lungs and over time make it hard to breath.

Madison Ashford

_Williamstown

People are unaware that the effects are of flavored tobacco are the same as smoking or chewing tobacco.

Amra Jusupovu

_Burlington

Flavored tobacco products provide an easy pathway to possible lifelong addiction for our kids to tobacco use.

Karen Avery

_{West Dover}

By making flavored tobacco products attractive to young people - they get hooked at an early age, and it is very hard to quit! Oral cancer is a very real concern.

Rhea Clark

_Wilmington

People think vaping is healthier than smoking, so they think it's okay.

Meredith Pelton

_Springfield

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

LOCATE YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Together with your local community partner, you can:

Raise awareness by talking with members of your community about how you can protect Vermont's youth from the dangers of tobacco products.
Help pass a local resolution expressing concern about tobacco products being marketed to youth.
Educate community leaders about options to decrease exposure to tobacco products and advertising—like content-neutral signage requirements or safety zones around schools and parks.

HELP SOUND THE ALARM

Sharing this important information with your own social network is a simple way to help spread the word about how the tobacco industry targets Vermont’s youth.

ARE YOU A RETAILER?

Your store can help protect Vermont's youth from tobacco. Here are a few options to consider:

Take down exterior-facing tobacco ads such as sandwich boards or ads in windows
Choose to not advertise tobacco products by not displaying any ads inside or outside of your store
Take a step further and keep all tobacco products out of sight (under the counter or in a cabinet)
Volunteer to stop selling flavored tobacco products
Volunteer to stop selling all tobacco products

See What Other Vermont Retailers Are Doing to take a stand against the tobacco industry’s influence.

Get The Facts