Montana Teens To Take On Tobacco Industry

Youth from across Montana will unite for the second annual reACT! Against Corporate Tobacco teen summit.

More than 200 people are expected to participate in the four-day event. They will work to expose the marketing practices of the corporate tobacco industry, learn how to empower their peers and communities, and celebrate the successful first year of the youth advocacy organization.

The summit will begin Sunday and continue through Wednesday. It is sponsored by the Tobacco Use Prevention Program of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

Tobacco prevention advocates from across the country will join participants in a variety of activities aimed at equipping teens with the tools they need to take action against "corporate tobacco." Their ultimate goal is to protect the health of Montana youth by discouraging the use of tobacco products, such as cigarettes and spit tobacco. Session topics will include youth activism, tobacco prevention through art, media relations, and initiative building.

On Tuesday, the youth will hold an activism event during the Helena Brewers baseball game at Kindrick Field, with a variety of activities beginning at 5:30 p.m.

"This summit is an opportunity for Montana teens to prove that we can make a difference in the fight against tobacco use," said Palma Tiberi, a Helena teen and member of reACT. "We want to help Montana residents understand how corporate tobacco manipulates people into using tobacco and hooks them for life."

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates that about 18,000 Montanans under the age of 18 will ultimately die prematurely due to tobacco use. The tobacco industry spends more than $49 million a year on marketing in the state. Research has shown that a third of underage experimentation with tobacco is attributable to advertising by tobacco companies.

reACT! Against Corporate Tobacco is the first teen-led movement in Montana against the tobacco industry. It is funded and staffed by the Tobacco Use Prevention Program to train and mobilize teens to be leaders and take action against tobacco both at the state and local level.