Transcript Document
The Tobacco Epidemic • Smoking is the #1 cause of preventable death in Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,000 deaths every year • 20% of all deaths • 90% of all preventable deaths • Half of all smokers will die from their addiction, losing, on average, 15 years of life The Tobacco Epidemic The Young Smoker • 4,500 children start smoking in this Province every year • The average age for a Canadian youth to start smoking is 12 • 85% of smokers start BEFORE age 16 • Girls are more likely to start smoking than boys Second-Hand Smoke (ETS) and Disease • 4,700 – 7,000 Canadians, including over 100 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians die each year from exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) • ETS increases your chance of lung cancer by 25% and heart disease by 10%. It also increases risk of leukemia and lymphoma, as well as cancer of the sinuses, brain, breast, uterine cervix, and thyroid Who is Targeting You? • The Tobacco Industry • Your peers • Those who want to profit from your smoking The Tobacco Industry …like no other • Tobacco is the ONLY legal product sold that is lethal when used exactly as the manufacturer intends • World revenues from Canadian tobacco companies total $168 BILLION per year This is MORE than the individual Gross Domestic Products of 180 of the world’s 205 Countries Truth Revealed Tobacco Industry Internal Documents • Guildford and Minnesota Depositories set up in 1998 • Results of US lawsuits • 39 Million pages of documentation Truth Revealed Industry Secret #1: Lie & Deny The Agreement between tobacco companies: Deny the known health effects of tobacco and conceal the known toxicity of tar, nicotine, and other chemicals in their product The Lie… “…the role, if any, that tobacco or smoking plays in the initiation and development of these diseases is very uncertain. The issue is still unresolved…” Rob Parker, Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers Council, 1987 “…science has not established that there is a causal relationship between smoking and illness…” Industry Report, 1987 The Truth… “…in the case of carcinogens, smoke contains not just one, but a galaxy of them…” British American Tobacco (Owner of Imperial Tobacco) “…obviously the amount of evidence accumulated to indict cigarette smoke as a health hazard is overwhelming. The evidence challenging such an indictment is scant…” 1962 internal industry report Truth Revealed Industry Secret #2: The Tobacco Industry markets their product to children The Lie… “…we do not market to children…” 1994 Statement From the Tobacco Industry “…we do not, under any circumstances, want kids to smoke…” 1994 Industry Advertising Campaign The Truth… From Industry Marketing Memo Released in Court TV & Movies • When you stop and think about it, lighting up on a screen is like showing a celebrity endorsement the size of a billboard – And it works! • Non-smoking teens whose favourite stars smoke frequently on screen are 16 times more likely to develop positive attitudes towards smoking Truth Revealed Industry Secret #3: The Tobacco Industry is in the Nicotine Delivery Business The Lie… “…I believe that nicotine is not addictive…” Donald Johnson, British American Tobacco, 1994 “…we do not increase the level of nicotine in our products in order to “addict” smokers…” RJR Advertisement, 1994 The Truth… “…nicotine is addictive. We are, then, in the business of selling nicotine, …” Industry Insider “…BAT should learn to look at itself as a drug company rather than a tobacco company, …” 1980 Memo From Team of British American Tobacco (BAT) Scientists You’re a Target Print Material Did you Know? • Most smokers start smoking before they are 16 years old • The average age to start smoking is 12 years old • Most people start smoking on their own school property Smoking On School Property • Some schools in the Province still allow smoking on school grounds • Is your school property 100% smoke free? Why Ban Smoking From School Property? • Second-Hand Smoke aggravates asthma, allergies, and respiratory problems • Children will have fewer opportunities to begin smoking • Smoking on school property sends the message that smoking is a normal, acceptable activity • Allowing smoking on school property is in conflict with prevention messages delivered in the classroom • The vast majority of smokers begin the habit during their school years and continue throughout their adult lives The Challenge! • If your school, or a school you know of, is not already 100% smoke free, why don’t you see if you can CHANGE IT! • Talk about it with teachers and students and plan how you can DO SOMETHING about smoking on school property! • A copy of the Smoke-Free Activists Tool Kit has been sent to your school. This kit will give you ideas and activities to promote smoke-free schools – CHECK IT OUT!