Annual smokeout targets teens

November 20, 1997
Web posted at: 4:12 p.m. EST (2112 GMT)

(CNN) -- The American Cancer Society's 21st annual Great American Smokeout began Thursday. During the month-long campaign, 48 million U.S. smokers will be asked to put down their cigars and cigarettes for healthier lives.

The program targets teens, noting that every day 6,000 people under age 18 smoke their first cigarette. The campaign also hopes to convince teens that smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking.

In Los Angeles, 90,000 signatures were collected on a statewide petition, urging the entertainment industry to stop glamorizing tobacco use. It will be displayed on Hollywood Boulevard.

Correspondent Dr. Steve Salvatore contributed to this report.

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