Summer Summit Recap
By: Kamrin Edmonds
The main activism event for the summit was held on the 31st to celebrate World No Tobacco Day, outside of the CVS Pharmacy in Norfolk. Youth used human billboards to show the community that they’ve had enough with Big Tobacco’s lies. The youth even tried out some new chants that were created at the summit. We are excited to share these with everyone later in the year! This location was the perfect spot to hold our activism, as CVS Pharmacy stopped selling tobacco products in 2014, and continues the fight to be tobacco-free! The CVS Health Foundation has partnered with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to develop Taking Down Tobacco, an online training course that is free to those who wish to learn more about how tobacco targets youth and impacts health. Thank you to all those who helped make this event a success and a huge thank you to CVS for putting the health of their customers over profits!No Limits Youth Board
By: Elaina Riley
No Limits, Nebraska’s first youth-led tobacco prevention movement, has selected twelve youth across the state to serve on its 2017-2018 Youth Board. The Youth Board members have many duties, including planning events, recruitment and organizing rallies against Big Tobacco. As the guiding body for the No Limits Youth Empowerment Movement, these youth also encourage and assist other teens in taking the fight back to their own communities.
We are excited to announce that we have seven returning board members. Included in those returning is Brooklyn Larimore who is serving her third year as co-chair and her fourth year on the board. Returning to serve his third year as co-chair and third year on the board is Kamrin Edmonds. We are also welcoming back Briann Wolfe, Hailey Holmer and Tayte Jussel who are making their return for their third year on the board. Returning for a second year on the youth board are Kallyn Antholz and Thomas Honeywell.
Breathe Easy: Tobacco Free for Me
By: Brooklyn Larimore
It’s a new year for No Limits, which means the youth board has worked hard to develop the theme for the upcoming year. As a board, we decided to focus on creating a better, smoke-free world. A world where anyone can walk down a sidewalk without having to dodge cigarette butts, turn a corner without being bombarded by a cloud of smoke or vapor, and most importantly, not be exposed to relentless advertisements. Our focus is creating a world where everyone may be able to take a deep breath of fresh air. A world where we all may breathe easy. This world we envision is what inspired our theme “Breathe Easy: Tobacco-Free for Me“.
- Tobacco-free communities, parks and schools are crucial in protecting the environment and preventing secondhand smoke exposure. By educating people on the dangers tobacco imposes to the health and wellness of themselves and the environment, No Limits hopes to inspire others to fight for tobacco-free policies. Tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 different chemicals, 70 of which are known to be cancer-causing. Not only would tobacco-free policies clear the air, but also the ground, as cigarette butts are the number one littered item in the world, with about 4.5 trillion cigarettes littered each year.
- The tobacco industry’s marketing is misleading when it comes to the health effects of their products, and tobacco production itself is detrimental to public health. Throughout history, Big Tobacco has used doctors, flavors, and phrases such as “light” or “mild” in their advertisements, which gives the perception that their product really isn’t as bad as it is. Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) products were initially marketed as being merely water vapor, which we now know is far from the truth. ENDS products actually produce an aerosol which contains nicotine, fine particulate matter, trace metals and volatile organic compounds.
- Lastly, tobacco is the second leading cause of death in America, yet 13 percent of Nebraskan youth use tobacco without fully understanding its health effects, which are even more harmful to teens. Nicotine reaches the teen brain in just ten seconds, and youth are more sensitive to its effects. During development, nicotine rewires the brain, impairing learning and motor abilities, memory, judgment and attention. Knowledge is power, and we believe with the truth in hand, the power of the youth cannot be stopped.
With our key messaging and theme devised, No Limits is ready to take on a new year in tobacco prevention. With our communities, families, peers and world in mind, Nebraskan youth cannot be stopped. Join No Limits in our new year, educating others on tobacco’s dangers so we may all choose to be tobacco-free and breathe easy.
I’m With the Bands
By: Seth Vlasak
Blacklist is a movement for a smoke-free music scene. They are against the manipulation of tobacco marketing and the damage it does to us and our communities. Let’s talk about what the movement is, why the things they do are so important and how they help our cause.
Who is Blacklist? Blacklist isn’t really a “who”, they are more of a “what”. As noted on their website, they are a movement for a smoke-free music scene. Their fight is against tobacco, not the tobacco user (sounds familiar right?). This movement sponsors shows and promotes a smoke-free music scene because they believe the manufacturing of tobacco products is killing the environment, torturing animals and destroying our civil rights, our health and our culture. In fact, just this spring they sponsored an event “March of Madness” in Lincoln, Nebraska! Blacklist may be in a city near you, so check out their website for event details and how to get involved.