KINGSTON- Kingston City Schools Freshman Jasim Bevier, 8th Grader Ariana Bevier, and Sullivan County BOCES, Freshman Sky Franco and Ricki Jones recently joined some one-hundred teens from around the state at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, N.Y. at a four-day youth summit to educate, empower and equip them to fight back against the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry in their home communities. The teens are part of Reality Check, a NYS Department of Health-funded program. They will employ what they learned to raise awareness about Big Tobacco’s long history of aggressive marketing and promotion of menthol-flavored tobacco products to young people, people of color, LGBTQIA+ communities and other groups, and its deadly impact on them.
“Big Tobacco uses bright colors and “fun” flavors to get teens to use their products,” said Ricki Jones. “I’m excited to help others learn to stop Big Tobacco.”
“Watching youth come alive with knowledge and passion at Youth Summit has been a joy,” said Jessica Kenneda, TFAC Reality Check Coordinator. “I am eager for them to take what they’ve learned this past week and put it into action into their schools and communities, as they work toward a tobacco free generation.”
The tobacco industry’s own documents say that ‘today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer.’ Reality Check youth are telling their communities across the state that they refuse to be a target for Big Tobacco or be recruited by them. Reality Check’s message is clear: Menthol is not just a flavor. It’s a way for Big Tobacco to attract and addict us. There’s nothing just about that.
Tobacco companies have spent enormous resources tracking the behaviors and preferences of youth under 21 and have a long history of unjustly marketing and promoting menthol-flavored tobacco products to select groups. For decades, tobacco companies have targeted and harmed the black and LGBTQIA+ communities with…
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