June 20, 2006

150 Montana Youth Unite to Tackle Tobacco

Teenagers from across the state have joined forces in Bozeman this week to tackle one of the most preventable killers in the nation: tobacco.

The reACT! Against Corporate Tobacco summit began Monday evening at the Montana State University Strand Union Building and continues through noon on Thursday. 

Joined by young advocates from across the country, participants will learn about tobacco marketing practices and launch a statewide youth movement against commercial tobacco use. The event is sponsored by the Tobacco Use Prevention Program of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

On Tuesday, teens will take part in training and brainstorming sessions. Then, on Wednesday, they will use what they’ve learned to conduct advocacy events around town.

From 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, one group will gather at the corner of 19th and Main and another will meet downtown between Rouse and Wilson streets to protest Marlboro’s exploitation of Montana to sell tobacco products.  At the same time, a third group will host a memorial in front of the Reno H. Sales Stadium on the MSU campus for people who have died prematurely of tobacco-related illnesses.

At 12:30 p.m., participants will host a news conference outside the Strand Union to publicly launch their statewide youth movement against commercial tobacco use. 

Based on current trends, about 18,000 Montanans currently under the age of 18 will ultimately die premature deaths due to tobacco use, according to Katy Pezzimenti, with the Tobacco Use Prevention Program. The tobacco industry spends more than $49 million a year on youth-targeted marketing in Montana, she added.

Page last updated: 06/20/2006