The World Health Organization estimates that one billion people worldwide will die from tobacco related illness this century. Please read this article and commit to one or more of the many very practical actions that individuals can take to lessen deaths by tobacco products. I want to begin with a legislative act that has been presented to Congress that could significantly lessen deaths by tobacco products.
Support the “Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (HR 2339)”
According to The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids – http://www.tobaccofreekids.org – “Congress is considering legislation to reverse the youth e-cigarette epidemic that’s sweeping across the county – and to continue driving down youth tobacco use. And right now, it needs your support:
The Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 HR 2339):
· Ends the sale of flavored tobacco products that appeal to kids,
· Raises the national tobacco age to 21
· Prohibits online sales of tobacco products,
· Restricts e-cigarette marketing, and
· Requires graphic health warnings on cigarette packs.”
The Tobacco Free Kids website highlights two major facts regarding why this congressional action can lessen deaths by tobacco. “National studies show that about 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 21…and 4 out of 5 adult smokers become daily smokers before they turn 21 …. In fact, most kids who have used tobacco products started with a flavored product – like gummy bear e-cigarettes, grape cigars and menthol cigarettes.”
A MAJOR ACTION ANYBODY CAN TAKE TO LESSEN DEATHS BY TOBACCO IS TO REACH OUT TO YOUR SENATOR AND CONGRESS PERSON AND ASK THEM TO CO-SPONSOR OR SUPPORT THIS ACT!
The official websites for the Republican – www.gop.com – and Democratic – www.democrats.org – parties provide information about how to reach every Senator and Congressperson in the U.S. This is not a partisan issue because a large majority of individuals in the U.S. have lost a relative, loved one, friend, neighbor or colleague to a tobacco related death. The most positive national initiative that will have the most impact on lessening the use of tobacco products is this initiative. Please consider approaching your representatives and senators regarding your desire to have them support this initiative and then follow up with them to do everything you can to ensure that they act.
An obvious way you can help ensure that politicians do get on board is to organize a group of individuals in your town, county, or state that vocally support this initiative. Using your network to get organizations to support this initiative is an additional way to ensure that your elected officials put their weight behind HR 2339. Reaching out to elected officials on any level to bring this Act to their attention and asking them to reach out to their Congressional friends and colleagues to support this Act is another action you could take.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids website offers additional ways that you can get involved in lessening deaths by tobacco.
· Become a Trainer through Taking Down Tobacco Training: “This is a comprehensive youth advocacy training program created by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in partnership with the CVS Health Foundation. This initiative educates and engages youth through free online and in person trainings. It provides introductory training for youth new to the fight against tobacco and advanced training to help young leaders take their advocacy to the next level. Geared toward middle and high-school students, Taking Down Tobacco empowers youth to create change in their schools, communities and states and help achieve the first tobacco-free generation.” Supporting Partners in this initiative are Young Minds Inspired, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, HOSA: Future health professionals, and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.”
· “Get involved by Taking Action: Fight Big Tobacco. Tell the FDA to Ban All Flavored Tobacco Products and Stop Tobacco Companies from Marketing to Kids on Social Media” are two of the actions you could take on the Tobacco Free Kids website.
· A third way is to tell Walgreens to End Tobacco Sales! A message you could send to Walgreens executives through Tobacco Free Kids is, “Selling tobacco products – the #1 cause of preventable death – is counter to Walgreen’s mission as a health care provider and family pharmacy. I understand that you’re testing tobacco-free stores in Gainesville, Florida. This is a step forward. Please end tobacco sales at all your stores nationwide as soon as possible. Not only is it the right thing to do for your customers, other retailers like CVS have proven that it’s the right business move.”
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network – https://www.fightcancer.org – provides dozens of actions that individuals can take to lessen the instances of tobacco related cancers. Here are just a few of these actions.
· There are a number of petitions you could sign and send to Congress that will encourage action that will lessen deaths by cancer. What follows is the wording on one petition that would, if passed, have a major impact on cigarette use.
“It’s time to increase the federal cigarette tax. Tobacco use will kill nearly 500,000 Americans this year. The evidence is clear:
-Tobacco use is the #1 cause of preventable death in the U.S.
-A 10% increase in cigarette cost is proven to lead to a 6% reduction in youth smoking
-This year, tobacco use will result in more than $96 billion in health care costs
I call on Congress to choose people over tobacco companies and support a $1 increase in the federal cigarette tax.”
· Create Your Own Event: “Invite your friends, family and community to join you in saving more lives from cancer. The money your raise will help ACS CAN convince lawmakers to support policies that lead to the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer.”
· Become an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Legislative Ambassador: “Volunteering as a Legislative Ambassador in your community means becoming part of a passionate group of fun, energetic people who are ready to end suffering and death from cancer. Your involvement in community activities, lobby days and exciting programs will help bolster our state and federal legislative campaigns…College students have a unique opportunity to engage lawmakers and their school community, and have a major impact in the fight against cancer…With active chapters on nearly 600 campuses, ACS CAN is offering students incredible opportunities to build important leadership skills while advocating on cancer issues in their own college community.”
As I said above, these are only a few of the many actions on the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network website you could take to lessen deaths by tobacco.
American Lung Association – https:// – www.lung.org – “The American Lung Association is committed to ending the death and disease caused by tobacco use. Our tobacco control policy efforts include: Advocating for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight over tobacco products; coverage of tobacco cessation treatments under health insurance plans; smoke free workplace laws, and tobacco 21 laws.”
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Lung Association are not the only organizations that are taking active and effective actions to lessen deaths by tobacco products.
The Tobacco Control Portal – https://tobacco.publichealth.gsu.edu/solutions – was created by researchers at the Georgia State Universities School of Public Health. This resource provides an extensive list of tobacco control organizations that are additional resources to use in your efforts to lessen the estimated one billion deaths by tobacco products this century. These include:
-The Legacy Foundation – http://www.legacyforhealth.org
-Americans for Nonsmoker’s Rights – http://www.no-smoke.org
-Action on Smoking and Health – http://ash.org
-CDC Office of Smoking and Tobacco Use – http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
In addition, please consider reaching out to your network with an email, or social media post that outlines what you believe is information that would move your network to lessen deaths by tobacco. For example, I will be sending approximately one hundred individual emails to members of my network who I believe would act to save our children’s lives. You will find content for that communication in this article and also at each of the organizations listed in this article, particularly the three featured organizations: Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Lung Association.
In conclusion, the organizations mentioned in this article all provide actions that individuals of any age can take to save our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and the children of our friends and relatives from dying a horrible death caused by using or being around tobacco products. For those who want a list of more organizations than listed here that are fighting Big Tobacco will find them in the two novels I have written – “Dawn of Hope” and “Dawn of the Tobacco Wars: The Sequel to Dawn of Hope” – about a female high school student who takes on my youth advocate mission of lessening the instances of sexual assault and bullying on and use to tobacco products by young people.
In addition, there is an extended resource list about organizations who are doing amazing work around the youth advocate mission mentioned above in my non-fiction book published in October of 2018 titled “Have a Positive Impact During Uncertain Times.” All three books are available on Amazon and on my website www.havepositiveimpact.com.
All of my books and articles are about how to have a positive impact. The legislation mentioned in this article could save more lives than anything else I have written.
Thanks for listening and please, please take actions to save those we love and others from extremely painful tobacco related deaths. My grandsons are being targeted by Big Tobacco and I will do everything I can to keep them from being included in the one billion to die this century from tobacco related illnesses. Peter