Montana’s teen-led movement against Big Tobacco

All of you are being targeted by the tobacco industry to replace former smokers.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the tobacco industry is spending over $15 billion annually, and over $41 million every day, to promote its products to young customers.

And every day, 4,000 young people try their first cigarette.

The tobacco industry knows that the more you are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely you are to start tobacco using tobacco products and become addicted.

So what can you do?

• Recognize the power you have to effectively take on one of the leading preventable causes of death-commercial tobacco use. If current trends continue, over 6,000,000 children alive today will die as a result of cigarette smoking.
• Join Montana’s teen-led movement reACT against corporate tobacco.
• Educate the community about tobacco industry and how they are spending billions of dollars on magazine advertisements, point of purchase advertising, and promotions that make tobacco use appear desirable.
• Fight to reduce store product placement and marketing efforts through “Store Alert” type projects that help rid retail stores of tobacco clutter.
• Ask store owners and managers to keep all cigarettes behind the counter, reduce the amount of advertising of interior ads to the areas behind the counter and support stores that are doing a good job of limiting tobacco marketing.

Know this! Your involvement will enhance community-wide efforts to combat pro-tobacco influences, change social norms around tobacco use, and reduce public exposure to secondhand smoke.