These new ads popping up throughout California educating parents and teens on the dangers of flavored tobacco products is a welcome sight. It is a strong reminder that as a community we must continue to fight back against Big Tobacco and its deceptive marketing tactics.

The ad campaign called “Flavors Hook Kids” shows how the tobacco industry is using candy-flavored nicotine juices and cartoon-shaped e-cigarettes to attract the next generation of tobacco users. Each year in California nearly 11,000 youth start smoking. Studies have shown that teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to switch to traditional tobacco products.

Policies that limit youth access to flavored tobacco products make it harder for them to start down the path to a deadly habit. Cities can pass tobacco retail license policies and restrict the sale of these products near schools and other youth centers.

Tobacco use remains the number one cause of disease and death in California and that’s why volunteers like me are speaking up. We must work to protect our children from Big Tobacco.

Nancy Perrin lives in Cobb, Calif.