By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, like other hospitals statewide, has gone completely smoke-free, yet a guest speaker gave some sobering statistics on how far the rest of the city needs to go in approaching that goal.

To celebrate the national “Great American Smoke-Out,” the city of Pawtucket’s Cancer Control Task Force invited Jamie Spears, tobacco control coordinator for the Pawtucket Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, to share research on smoking trends that she and other volunteers have been compiling.
In the hospital’s Sayles Conference Center on Thursday night, Spears outlined comparisons between tobacco industry marketing in lower income areas and higher income communities, and listed some of the steps being taken to reduce smoking, especially among children and teens.
As part of the Rhode Island Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program that is funded by the state Department of Health, Spears noted a couple of accomplishments: Rhode Island is the seventh state in the nation to go “smoke-free” in public areas; and in 2007, it reached a goal that had been set for 2010 for a youth smoking rate of 16 percent.
However, hands-on research conducted by Spears and other volunteers showed how pervasive and far-reaching the tobacco industry can be, especially in lower socio-economic areas.
In a comparison between the high income community of East Greenwich and the low income city of Central Falls, Spears presented some startling findings: the 16 square mile community of East Greenwich has 22 tobacco vendors while Central Falls, at roughly one-sixteenth of its size, has 28 licensed places to buy cigarettes. She also pointed out that in both communities the vendors are generally located near schools and along public bus routes and train stations.
In addition, when considered per square mile, Central Falls is “completely inundated” with advertising for tobacco products, both of the indoor and outdoor variety. She also said that in the Square Mile City there were more price incentives for buying cigarettes, such as “buy one pack, get another one free” and other bonus programs.
Spears said the research teams, which gathered the information by visiting stores in person and posing as casual shoppers, also found four vendors in Central Falls who were engaging in the illegal practice of selling loose cigarettes (known as “loosies”) at 50 cents each. She added that this number is likely even higher in neighborhoods where the vendors know their regular customers.
The loose cigarettes are known to be popular with youngsters who can not afford a full pack of cigarettes. The group did not find any vendors selling individual cigarettes in East Greenwich, she added.
In Pawtucket, Spears said the researchers found 84 tobacco vendors in the 9 square mile city, although only 75 retailers are listed as being licensed through the state Division of Taxation. Of these vendors, three were willing to sell “loosies” to the researchers.
In summary, Spears said it’s obvious that the tobacco industry is targeting areas with lower socio-economic status, and that the children in these communities are exposed to more tobacco advertising and a greater number of tobacco vendors.
Spears said several pending bills address these inequities, including proposals:
n to raise the tobacco licensing fee for vendors from $25 to $250;
n to increase penalties for those caught selling tobacco products to minors; and
n to ban price promotions that undermine the purpose of the state’s high cigarette tax.
At the local level, Spears said efforts could be made through the legislature to allow individual municipalities to add on a local licensing fee, with additional funds directed to local police departments to subsidize compliance checks.
Judy Fortier and Teresa Chopoorian are co-chairs of the Pawtucket Cancer Control Task Force that was begun over a decade ago by Mayor James E. Doyle.
Both said they were surprised by some of Spears’ data, particularly as it showed a clustering of tobacco vendors near city schools and public transportation routes.
Chopoorian noted that the task force’s mission is to reduce the risk of all types of cancer for city residents by recommending public policy initiatives, education, promotion of early detection screening and prevention measures, and in identifying resources for treatment, recovery, support and end of life issues for those affected by cancer.
Chopoorian stressed that the task force is always looking for more volunteers, and said she especially encourages those who are cancer survivors to join the efforts. Anyone interested in signing up can call Edward Tetzner in the mayor’s office at 728-0500, ext. 358.
Louise Paiva, director of public relations and marketing for Memorial Hospital, said the first day of the smoke-free hospital campus had gone smoothly. She said the hospital had begun preparing its employees six months ago by offering a series of smoking cessation classes and other literature, and by putting up signage aimed at getting people to stop smoking.
In addition, as part of that day’s “Great American Smoke-Out” celebration, workers were handed a free “Smoker’s Survival Kit” that included a coupon for a free “cold turkey sandwich” to encourage people to kick the habit one day at a time.