Prevention of Smoking

To the Editor.—  In a recent COMMENTARY by Richard V. Ebert, MD (240:2159, 1978), he urges physicians to try to reduce the grim toll of lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema by encouraging their smoking patients to abstain from cigarettes. He suggests that this approach may be more productive than trying to induce young people to avoid the cigarette habit, since "lectures and counseling are relatively ineffective."Based on my experience in conducting cancer education programs in public schools, I think this pessimism is unwarranted. We have been dealing principally with preteens and early teenagers, using film presentations followed by small discussion groups conducted by advanced high school science students. These presentations have been well received by the young people, probably because of the straightforward, nonpedantic approach and the participation of the older teenagers. Some of our young students go home and convince their parents to stop the habit, and