Tobacco in Texas

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Tobacco in Texas

• Its nasty.
• Its deadly.
• Its up to you to do something about it.

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A little history

• 1998 Texas settled a lawsuit with the tobacco
  industry for money to pay the state back for
  taking care of sick smokers.
• Three other states settled with the tobacco
  industry in similar lawsuits.
• All the other states sued the tobacco industry in
  one lawsuit and settled in 1998.

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Why did they sue?

• Smoking is a choice, isnt it?
• States said tobacco industry had known for years
  that their products were deadly and used
  deceptive marketing practices to get people
  hooked.
• Tobacco companies targeted kids, who get hooked
  more easily and are more likely to be influenced
  by ads.

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Where did the money go?

• Texas Legislature decided how to spend the
  settlement money
• Some of it went to cities, counties and
  hospitals.
• Some money was invested to set up permanent funds
  for health-related projects.
• One of these projects was a tobacco prevention
  and control program with the state health
  department.

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Tobacco Prevention

• Legislature required the state to start a tobacco
  prevention program with their share of the money.
• One requirement was to create an advertising
  campaign to help prevent youth from using tobacco.

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Ad Campaign DUCK

• Created by kids at first tobacco summit in 2000.
• Character is meant to make NOT smoking the cool,
  smart thing to do.
• Tony Rock (Chris Rocks brother) is DUCKs voice.
• Audience age 9-12.

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Ad Campaign DUCK

• Goal
• To educate kids about dangers of tobacco use and
  to encourage them to make smart choices.
• Tag Tobacco is Foul!www.ducktexas.com

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Ad Campaign Worth It?

• Target Audience 13-17 year olds
• Goal Educate teens about and promote awareness
  of the Texas Tobacco Law
• Campaign is about choices
• Give the the facts
• When you know the facts, its up to you to ask if
  tobacco is worth it
• www.worthit.org

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Ad Campaign Worth It?

• The Texas Tobacco Law
• If caught purchasing, possessing or using tobacco
  products, anyone under 18 may have to
• pay a fine up to 250,
• attend tobacco awareness classes,
• perform community service, and/or
• lose their driver's license for up to 180 days.

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Synar Amendment

• Federal Laws state that each individual state
  must monitor illegal sales of tobacco.
• Texas has a buy-rate of around 12
• (For more information about the Texas Tobacco Law
  for
• Retailers, refer to your TTFKD Tool Kit)

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Tobacco Free Schools

• As part of the Texas Tobacco Law, every School
  District must have policies that
• Prohibit smoking or using tobacco products at any
  school related or school-sanctioned activity on
  or off school property
• Prohibit students from possessing tobacco
  products at any school related or
  school-sanctioned activity on or off school
  property
• Ensure enforcement of these policies

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Retailer Consequences

• Its not just the minor who
• could face consequences
• Clerks who sell tobacco
• to a minor could face a Class C misdemeanor with
  a fine up to 500!
• Ever seen this warning sign?
• Every store is REQUIRED to post this sign so that
  it is visible to both the buyer and the seller.

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Whats in a Cigarette?

• Cigarette companies do not have to list
  ingredients like other common products
• Macaroni cheese
• Energy drinks
• Bread

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Whats in a Cigarette?

• Cigarettes have 599 ingredients, including
• Arsenic (rat poison)
• Ammonia (toilet cleaner)
• Polonium 210 (radioactive chemical)
• Formaldehyde (embalming fluid)
• Nicotine is the addictive ingredient in tobacco
  products. It is as addictive as heroin and
  cocaine.
• It is also used as a pesticide.

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Where theres smoke

• there are chemicals
• Secondhand smoke contains 4,000 identified
  chemical compounds.
• 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer.
• Smoke doesnt stay in the smoking section.
• Separate seating doesnt protect you.
• Ventilation doesnt protect you.

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Health Effects Short Term

• Shortness of breath
• Reduced athletic ability
• Smell in hair and clothes
• Bad breath
• Yellow teeth
• Stained fingers

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Health Effects Long Term

• Cancers of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder,
  pancreas, uterus, cervix and kidney
• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Bronchitis
• Emphysema

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Death Toll

• 24,200 Texans die from tobacco-related illnesses
  each year.
• 66 people per day.
• One person every 22 minutes.
• 503,000 Texas kids alive today will die
  prematurely from smoking.
• 35,900 kids in Texas become underage smokers each
  year.
• 89 of smokers started before age 18.

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Secondhand Smoke

• Increases risk of lung cancer, heart disease,
  asthma and other illnesses in non-smokers exposed
  to it.
• Almost 1,000,000 children in Texas are exposed to
  secondhand smoke at home.
• As many as 4,720 adults, children and babies in
  Texas die each year because of other peoples
  smoking (secondhand smoke pregnancy smoking).

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Big Spenders

• The tobacco industry spent 13.36 billion to
  advertise their products nationwide in 2005.
• 884.7 million estimated portion spent in Texas
  for marketing in 2005.
• 37.63 for every Texas resident
• 28.05 every second
• The state health department has 2 million or
  less to spend on tobacco prevention advertising
  each year.

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Big Losers

• 18.1 of adults and 24.2 of high school students
  in Texas smoke.
• Tobacco-related illnesses cost the state 5.83
  billion each year.
• A pack a day smoking habit will cost more than
  1,700 per year (average cost per pack 4.76)
• Minors consume 67.6 million packs of cigarettes
  each year.
• This amounts to 321,776,000.

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Questions???