What is Not Buying It?
We are a local Alaska health campaign working to reduce smoking and vaping. Our messages show the real consequences of using tobacco and e-cigarettes. We share effective messaging and tips and strategies to quit.
About 14,000 Alaska youth under age 18 are expected to die prematurely from smoking-related causes. Youth are more likely than adults to try e-cigarettes and vapes, which increases chances of using other tobacco products, like cigarettes. Both e-cigarettes and cigarettes are harmful to health. Products containing nicotine are especially addicting and destructive to developing brains. Despite which products are being used, quitting can be tough. A new generation is being hooked into a cycle of addiction.
Every year, smoking kills more people than alcohol, car crashes, AIDS, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined. It’s never been more important to stay healthy. One of the best ways to do this is to quit smoking and vaping — and to never start in the first place.
Tobacco companies spend about $16 million each year in Alaska on advertising to influence people to start smoking. Kids and teens are two times more likely than adults to be influenced by tobacco company marketing. Our campaign helps Alaska youth see beyond this flashy advertising and find current, accurate messages about smoking and vaping. Alaska youth deserve to hear the truth and to live a healthy life.
We see through the shiny packaging, and we’re Not Buying It.
TEENS
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Using nicotine or marijuana as a teen impacts brain development and makes you more susceptible to addiction.2
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Most teens think they’ll quit, but 3 out of 4 high school smokers continue to smoke as adults.3
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Vape aerosol is NOT “harmless water vapor.” It exposes users to toxic chemicals that damage the lungs, the central nervous system, and can cause cancer.4
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A single vape pod can contain as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.5
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14,000 Alaskans who are alive right now and under 18 will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.6
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You may be tempted to reach for your vape when you’re feeling stressed, but there are better ways to cope. Most e-cigarettes contain high levels of nicotine, which can cause addiction. Like any addiction, nicotine can worsen symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. Explore other activities to boost your mood, like getting outside or listening to a song. If your mental health impacts your ability to enjoy life and learn in school, talk to your healthcare provider. If you need help now, text TALK to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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Did you know teens who vape are 3x more likely than non-vapers to become daily cigarette smokers? While tobacco and e-cigarette companies claim not to target children, they use enticing flavors like candy, colorful packaging, and place products in kid-friendly locations in stores. It’s no surprise they target kids because most adults start smoking before the age of 18. Tobacco and e-cigarette companies are spending more than $1 million every hour trying to convince you to use their products, but we’re Not Buying It.
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The tobacco industry has known that smoking causes lung cancer since the early 1950s. They covered it up and lied to the public for decades. Do you trust them to tell the truth about vaping? The good news is most young adults see through deceitful tobacco and e-cigarette marketing. Read more on The Truth Initiative’s website.
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PARENTS
EDUCATORS &
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The State of Alaska Tobacco Prevention and Control program created an e-learning course for school administrators, staff and teachers about e-cigarette use among Alaska teens. This course provides accurate messages about the health harms associated with youth use of e-cigarettes; helps identify various types of e-cigarette products; shows how to act in the classroom to prevent e-cigarette use; and shares resources for schools, parents and teens.
To enroll, sign up for a free e-Learning account or log in to your account on the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development website (education.alaska.gov/ELearning). Take the E-cigarette Use Among Alaska Teens course today.
This course was created in partnership with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, the Alaska Tobacco Prevention and Control program, and the Alaska Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention.”
SOURCES
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https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/alaska
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2019 Staff Core Messages, page 15.
U.S. Surgeon General. Know the risks. E-cigarettes & young people website. Available https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/knowtherisks.html#aerosol-exposure.
HHS. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the Surgeon General. Executive Summary. 2012
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HHS, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2012.
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2019 Staff Core Messages, pages 13 and 15.
U.S. Surgeon General. Know the risks. E-cigarettes & young people website. Available https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/knowtherisks.html#aerosol-exposure.
Aldehydes in Exhaled Breath during E-Cigarette Vaping: Pilot Study Results. Samburova et al. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6161081/#:~:text=A%20number%20of%20studies%20have,well%20as%20diacetyl%20%5B10%5D. Accessed 5/27/21 9:54 AM
Volatile Organic Compounds. American Lung Association. Available at https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/volatile-organic-compounds#:~:text=VOCs%20Can%20Harm%20Health,effects%2C%20though%20many%20have%20several. Accessed 5/27/21 9:51 AM.
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2019 Staff Core Messages page 16
https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/how-much-nicotine-juul
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Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2018. The Toll of Tobacco in Alaska. Available from https://www. tobaccofreekids.org/problem/toll-us/alaska