Kids and smoking - an illegal, deadly, nasty combination

School's been in session only one day and the high school students are already starting to loiter in the parking lot areas of local convenience stores, many of them smoking. We know the stores can't legally sell the cigarettes to these kids, so why are they allowing them to congregate outside their buildings, puffing smoke out of their mouths like chimneys? Over the years I've heard plenty of comments from people about how it looks. I've also heard people wondering why the stores even allow the kids to loiter on their property. I've wondered the same thing. When you see a bunch of kids hanging around it's not necessarily conducive to encouraging other, more mature customers to go inside the store or stop for gasoline, etc.

The other question is exactly where are the liaison officers from the schools or others from our local police department during the high school lunch hours? Why are they not seen patrolling around the convenience stores or driving down the streets that run from the school to the stores, citing these kids for illegally smoking and littering when they throw their cigarette butts, soda cans and candy wrappers in the street or on people's lawns?

I think it's time to start clamping down on these kids early in the school year. Maybe they're not causing any real harm and certainly there are far worse things they could be doing, but setting them on the right path now to not smoking and to respecting other people's property can only help keep them out of greater trouble later. It will also help them develop better habits for the rest of their lives, and, if they can curtail or quit smoking altogether, hopefully help them live longer lives at that.