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Coalition Urges Organizations to Reject Tobacco Industry Sponsorship
Does accepting money from a company that kills over 400,000 people a year fit your mission? The Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island is urging non-profit organizations, event planners, companies and teams to reject financial support from the tobacco industry. Tobacco companies would rather be known for their generosity than their deadly product. They use sponsorship to promote and heighten the visibility of their products as well as get access to target audiences. They sponsor events, individuals, teams and facilities in order to gain association with sporting events, music concerts and other programs. They also fund social programs and research. This money buys loyalty to the corporation and influence and silence among patrons in the community.
The Coalition is asking organizations, teams, venues and companies to sign a Commitment to Public Health pledging not to accept tobacco industry advertising, sponsorship or promotion for any of their programs or events. Over 50 organizations, teams and event companies have signed the pledge in the past two years. Shouldn’t yours be the next? If you are willing to say “no thanks big tobacco, we don’t want your money,” click on the above link to download the pledge. You may fax or mail the sign policy to the Coalition.
All organizations that have signed the pledge will be honored at an annual recognition luncheon to be held on May 30, 2008 at Ambrosia Restaurant in Farmingdale. For more information or to get involved, call the Coalition at (631) 265-3848 ext. 15.
Town of Huntington First to Sign Tobacco Advertising Resolution
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Mark Cuthbertson from the Town
of Huntington Council with
Marianne Zacharia. |
The Town of Huntington, in support of the Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island, became the first municipality on Long Island to sign a resolution calling on tobacco retailers to voluntarily curtail the amount of advertising that they display inside and outside of their stores. Councilman Mark Cuthbertson introduced the resolution at the board meeting on August 28th and it passed unanimously.
Retail stores have long been an important component of tobacco company marketing strategies. The store environment exerts a unique influence to promote tobacco use as a desirable social norm. Research has shown that teens are more likely to be influenced to smoke by cigarette advertising than by peer pressure. Since three out of four teenagers shop in convenience stores at least once each week, they are routinely exposed to tobacco advertising. |
In an effort to curb underage tobacco sales to minors and to limit youth exposure to these influential advertising campaigns, the coalition is also working with the county departments of health. Brochures are being distributed outlining the current regulations on tobacco sales and advertising as well as information on the effects of point-of-purchase advertising. Retailers will be asked to sign a voluntary policy to remove, reduce or rearrange tobacco advertising so that it is not at or below the eye level of children.
For more information on this projector to become involved in working with your town to limit tobacco advertising, call Safiya Campbell at (631)265-3848 ext. 11.
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Celebrating the 4 th Anniversary of Smoke Free NY!
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Pictured from left to right are: John Martin,
Jan Bertino, Bonnie Anderson, Janis Hurley,
Joe Nofi, Lori Benincasa, Susan Kennedy
and Marianne Zacharia |
It has been four years since the implementation of New York State’s Clean Indoor Air Act that made workplaces including restaurants, bars and company vehicles smoke free. The Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services celebrated the event at Robert Moses State Park in the “Learn to Be Tobacco Free” bus educating beach-goers about the health effects of tobacco, secondhand smoke and the benefits of being tobacco free.
“Thanks to the law, thousands of people in New York State have been protected from exposure to the more than 4,000 chemicals contained in secondhand smoke,” remarked Susan Kennedy, Director of the Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island.
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