Margaret Scafati Roukema

“ It is essential that we stand up for the health of our children and help keep them from becoming addicted to the most widespread drug threatening our society-- tobacco. The average smoker takes his or her first puff of a cigarette at age 11. If adults choose to smoke, that's a poor decision but one they are allowed to make for themselves. But if children are lured into smoking, that is a moral crime and should be a statutory crime.
Last year, I was a co-sponsor of the NOT for Kids Act, which would raise the price of a pack of cigarettes by $1.50 over 3 years. ”

“ But beyond this group, I want to make a special appeal to the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, big sisters and brothers and all other adults who play an influential role in the lives of the students of Byrd Elementary School. We all know that children imitate the behavior of adults. ”

“ It is far more effective to prevent tobacco addiction that to stop it once it has begun.
It is important to note that the anti-smoking effort in Glen Rock goes beyond the school system. Matthew Kopacki, owner of Rock Ridge Pharmacy, has stopped selling cigarettes in his pharmacy after the death of one of his employees from lung cancer. Mayor Jacquelyn Kort is among those speaking at Byrd Elementary School. And the New Jersey Breathes program is being supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. ”