CHENANGO COUNTY – A new anti-tobacco campaign aims to shelter Chenango County youth – and kids from all over the state – from the bombardment of tobacco marketing in retail spaces.

According to Tobacco Free NYS, big name tobacco spends billions of dollars each year to market tobacco products using eye-catching promotions, and that poses a potentially life-threatening risk to kids and young adults.

Enter “Seen Enough Tobacco,” the new campaign launched by Tobacco Free NYS to safeguard children from tobacco marketing. The campaign officially kicked off last week on World No Tobacco Day.

Seen Enough Tobacco takes a hard look at what’s happening with tobacco marketing and children through the use of video, social media, digital advertising, and a “Jack and Jill (and Tobacco)” storybook that emphasizes the perils of tobacco marketing in highly visible locations within convenience stores.

“It’s really an effort to educate people about the dangers of tobacco marketing in our stores and the affects it has on our kids,” explained Melissa Potter, a public health educator with Tobacco Free Zone of Chenango, Cortland and Tompkins counties. “Tobacco companies spend almost half a million dollars a day in New York State to place vivid and bold images, promotions and products in a retail environment where children can see them.”

The average age of a new smoker is just 13 years old, according to Tobacco Free NYS. What’s more, the organization says 75 percent of teens shop at least once per week at places where tobacco companies invest heavily in advertising.