Khoa Ma, a Princeton High junior, is leading teen anti-smoking efforts. The Enquirer/CRAIG RUTTLE

Khoa Ma says he starts with the facts when trying to convince his fellow teens to give up smoking. The Princeton High School (Hamilton County) junior is active in the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He traveled to New York last year as part of a group to present petitions to MTV urging the network to stop glorifying smoking. He and others also are collecting signatures now, trying to convince the City of Cincinnati to make all workplaces smoke-free.Similar efforts are under way in Kentucky. Cincinnati is a crucial part of Ohio antismoking efforts, since local ad agency Northlich designed the state campaign, called Stand.Ma, 18, hopes to study business and international relations in college.

HOW DID YOU get involved in the antismoking movement?

It was my freshman year, and my adviser said the Stand campaign was looking for teen advisers. When I went for the first time and found out what the industry was doing to our country and the youth and how many had been killed, you just can't help but do something, so that's why I have continued to do what I'm doing now.

HAVE YOU ever been a smoker, or have members of your family been smokers?

A lot of my family members (have been) because culturally in the Asian community it's very accepted. When you go to weddings they give cigarettes as gifts and stuff like that. But I've never been a smoker.

DO YOU think networks like MTV glamorize smoking and make it popular among young people?

I think they do. A lot of the teens watch MTV, and if they see the stars are doing it, they can say, 'If they're doing it, then it's OK for me.' If MTV can say that tobacco use is not something you should be doing, then they'll listen. They have a lot of influence..

WHAT'S THE key to convincing teens not to smoke?

What I use are the facts and convince them, 'Why would you throw away your money?' It's like tobacco kills about 450,000 people a year. If you do the math, it's like a Sept. 11 in America every three days. That's just the death costs, but then there's also a financial cost because you're throwing away so much money and people are paying taxes, an extra $525 every year, whether you smoke or not. You could be spending money on other things.

ARE WE reaching a point where not smoking is becoming cool?

I think it is. The numbers show that it's not cool. And (teens) look at Stand and they recognize Stand now and what it's supposed to be, and they do get the message. And I think personally that it has become less cool to smoke.

Cliff Peale