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Help young people avoid spit tobacco
This is the slogan that a little leaguer from Darien, Connecticut submitted to win a spit tobacco education program slogan contest. It was part of an awareness campaign to help young people avoid the harmful effects of spit tobacco that causes oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay, and nicotine addiction.
In our Northern BC region, the use of smokeless/chewing tobacco is most prevalent in young men; they often start using these products when they are teens and involved in team sports. Once they are hooked, it’s hard to stop.
Although there are fewer people smoking cigarettes in Canada, the sales of smokeless tobacco have remained relatively unchanged over the last 15 years.
Tobacco companies target young people with messages to promote their products and often associate spit tobacco with sports. They have spent millions of dollars per year to promote their products to teen boys to make them believe they cannot be real men unless they chew.
Break the association of spit tobacco with sports
We can help break the association of spit tobacco with sports such as baseball and hockey. Major league baseball recognizes health risks of chewing tobacco and almost half of their stadiums are now tobacco free. Rogers Centre in Toronto is next!
Both of my grandchildren, ages 6 and 8, who live in Prince George, are playing baseball this season and I am happy that I have not observed the use of spit tobacco on the field or in the stands.
Let’s “Knock Tobacco Out of the Park!”
In this story, as in most public health messages, “tobacco use” refers to the use of commercial tobacco products like cigarettes and chewing tobacco as opposed to traditional uses of tobacco.
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