This is Public Health: Teens and Smokeless Tobacco
The good news: The number of American teens who smoke is decreasing.
The bad news: One in seven teen boys uses some form of spit or smokeless tobacco and girls are not far behind.
Smokeless tobacco products are an unsafe, extremely addictive product, just ask anyone who has used them! Unfortunately, the new smoking bans in effect have an unintended effect on the use of smokeless tobacco. In light of these bans, tobacco companies are strongly marketing their smokeless tobacco products. Many of these products are being advertised as more discrete alternatives to cigarettes in places where smoking is not allowed. Some companies promote these smokeless products as a way to help quit smoking. However, these products contain more nicotine than cigarettes and therefore create an addiction quickly.
Keep kids from starting:
Parents can be the greatest influence on their own teens, even if they are users themselves. Share with your kids, at a very early age, about how you got started, how difficult it is to quit and what it costs you. Help them find help to quit if needed.
Corporate tobacco is constantly developing new, enticing products. Adding fruit flavors and shaping smokeless products in the form of miniature pouches, sticks, strips and tablets are being marketed and advertised. Even though the legal age of purchasing tobacco is 18, it’s not difficult for youth to get their hands on it. The tobacco industry knows that if someone does not use tobacco products by the age of 18, there is at least a 90% chance they never will. Marketing is designed to draw the interest of younger users because the industry seeks to replace its customer base. Camel Snus, for example, is sold in packaging designed to resemble the size and shape of a cell phone.
reACT Against Corporate Tobacco, Montana’s youth lead group, plans activities and events to keep youth informed about corporate tobaccos’ lies and tricks. Recently, 80 teens met in Helena to set goals for the upcoming year. Teens in the Mission Valley area plan to focus on policy change. They plan to continue encouraging the movie industry to rate any movie which contains tobacco to be rated “R”. The youth plan to move forward includes making more outdoor events tobacco free.
They also want to evaluate the advertising and placement of tobacco products in local area stores where youth frequently shop. reACT is not against tobacco users, it’s about getting people to understand how the tobacco industry manipulates people into getting hooked!
Check with www.reactmt.com for more information or contact Bev Machacek, Lake County Public Health (883-7480).