News and Events
Fellsmere Students Working Against Tobacco Share Information on Flavored Tobacco with City Leaders
March 6, 2014
The Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Club based in the Fellsmere Boys & Girls Club has been working hard recently on the issue of flavored tobacco products that target youth.
On March 6, 2014 five of these SWAT Club members were invited to tell Fellsmere's City Council, Police Chief, and other community members how the tobacco industry markets its flavored tobacco products to kids.
The audience was shocked by tobacco industry memos that were read by SWAT youth. The memos, revealed during lawsuits in the 1990’s involving the major tobacco companies, confirmed how the industry developed flavored tobacco so it would appeal to kids.
SWAT Youth present at the Fellsmere City Council.
From L to R: Damian Castro, Francisco Magana, Isabel Garcia, Claudia Monroy, and Evelin Garcia.
The SWAT students shared that their peers perceive flavored tobacco to be less dangerous than non- flavored tobacco. The students then shared with the City Council examples of flavored tobacco products and packaging that appear similar to candy containers. The students then expressed their desire to see all flavored tobacco taken out of convenience stores and put into smoke shops or other age-restricted stores.
The youth then asked for a resolution from the Council asking local retailers to voluntarily halt the sale of flavored tobacco products in Fellsmere. The City Council agreed to review some samples of resolutons used by other local communities.
A few days later these SWAT youth made another presentation about flavored tobacco to their peers in an assembly at the Boys & Girls Club in Fellsmere.
It is clear that the youth in Fellsmere care a lot about how flavored tobacco is targeting members of their generation.
For more information on the SWAT Clubs in Indian River County, please contact Leslie Spurlock at Lspurlock@quitdoc.com.
