ENGAGEtobacco-free kids takes on major league baseball

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is knocking tobacco out of the park! We say it’s time for MLB players and managers to stop using tobacco products at all Major League Baseball venues. That’s right! All venues.

We have launched the Knock

Tobacco Out of the Park cam-paign, aimed at getting Major League Baseball and the Players Association (the player’s union) to ban all tobacco use on the field and in the dugout. It is essential that they act now.

In November, we, along with nine other major public health groups asked MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association to prohibit the use of tobacco by players and staff at all MLB venues in the contract that will take effect in 2012. Now we are taking our message to the public. We are calling on parents and kids to hold their heros accountable, to chal-lenge them to set a better example for countless young people.

Baseball players are role models who have a tremendous impact on their fans, many of whom are kids

and teenagers. When youth see players using smokeless tobacco, it adds appeal to this dangerous, addictive product.

Smokeless tobacco use among high school boys is spiking—there has been a 36 percent increase since 2003. This is occurring despite dramatic declines in youth cigarette smoking. The tobacco industry has said that it considers smokeless to be an opportunity for profit as cigarette smoking declines.

We say enough is enough! Will you? Join with us as we knock tobacco out of the park! Learn more online at www.tobaccofreebaseball.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids1400 Eye Street NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005www.tobaccofreekids.org

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids takes on Major

League Baseballpage 1

John Keightley, Vice President of Development

shares thoughts on the inaugural issue of the

newsletterpage 2

Get face to face with our international efforts

page 2

Tobacco-Free Kids maintains a watchful eye on the light and low tar

deceptionpage 2

The countdown to Kick Butts Day is on and there are several ways to get involved

page 3

The 15th Annual Youth Advocates of the Year

Awards Gala is approachingpage 4

Winning Smart. Saving Lives.

Edition 1, Issue 1March 20, 2011

tobacco watch

VP’s Corner

changing lives the world over

Tobacco use will kill one billion people worldwide this century unless urgent action is taken. The Cam-paign for Tobacco-Free Kids works to reduce tobacco use and save lives worldwide as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. This initiative focuses on promoting the adoption and implementation of proven tobacco control measures in low and middle-income countries that will bear the heaviest burden of tobacco-caused death and disease in the coming decades.

Our international work focuses on 15 priority low- and middle- income countries and includes grant making, research, legal support, communica-tion, and tobacco industry monitor-ing. And our most concentrated ad-vocacy efforts are focused in Russia, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and China. In every country in which we work we use a team approach draw-ing staff from each discipline that supports leaders in country. And we have seen tremendous progress as a result of that approach.

A recent major win took place in Mexico this past October where we saw the aver-age price of a pack of cigarettes rise to $35.74 pesos, a whopping 34.8% increase. A new law, which increased the price of a pack of cigarettes through a tax increase of seven pesos, was a major victory for tobacco control and is projected to re-duce tobacco consumption by 17.3%. We and other allies launched this battle in 2009, but were unsuccessful. We didn’t give up. Instead we took a step back, put together an even stronger effort to engage many sectors of society, including civil, political, private sector, and the media. The result? More support from key legislators who became highly effective communicators for the campaign.

What we know is that smoking kills more than 600,000 Mexicans each year and that higher tobacco prices can save lives by discouraging youth from smoking. What we’ve proved through this victory is that our collaborative approach and having deep roots in the countries on which we focus are the keys to success.

Engage.

Take a minute to learn more about how the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is leading the fight against America’s biggest preventable cause of death. Spend a little bit more time finding out how Tobacco-Free Kids is creating a future where the death and disease caused by tobacco use is significantly reduced. Then, ask yourself what you can do to help make that vi-sion a reality.

We are thrilled to introduce this newsletter to you. We hope that by taking just a few minutes every few months to read it, you will be inspired to remain engaged in the fight to reduce the death and disease caused by tobacco use. We know what it takes to win this battle, and we need you, and many others like you, to join us.

You may have already engaged in this fight by providing financial support to Tobacco-Free Kids. If so, thank you very much – this newsletter will remind you of all the good that your gen-erosity has done, and will do in the future. If you haven’t yet had the chance to make a gift to Tobacco-Free Kids, this newsletter will show you all that is possible if enough people join our fight.

ENGAGE.

John KeightleyVice President, Development

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is fighting the tobacco epidemic across the globe.

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Learn more about our work at www.tobaccofreekids.org

The “Light and Low” Deception

Thanks to Tobacco-Free Kids’ leadership for nearly a decade, on June 22, 2010 the FDA ended one of the deadliest consumer frauds in history: it banned the use of the deceptive terms “light,” “mild” and “low-tar” in the marketing and sale of cigarettes in the US. But the Tobacco Industry is at it again with their lies and deceit. Well, big tobacco…you’ve been watched!

Despite the new law, tobacco companies are using new tactics to perpetuate the deception. These include using lighter-colored packaging for light brands, and switching to terms such as “gold” and “silver” to replace “light” and “ultra-light.” Marlboro Lights was renamed Marlboro Gold, while Marlboro Ultra Lights became Marlboro Silver. Similarly, R.J. Reynolds changed Salem Lights and Ultra Lights to “Gold Box” and “Silver Box”.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is fighting back and you should, too! Don’t be fooled. In fact, we have dedicated an entire portion of our website to exposing the tobacco industry’s deception. Read more about the light and low deception atwww.tobaccofreekids.org/what_we_do/

at Tobacco-free Kids we kick butts!

Kick Butts Day (KBD) is a national day of advocacy that empowers youth to speak up and take action against tobacco use through hundreds of events from coast to coast.

The Kick Butts Day countdown is on, and March 23rd is fast approaching! Last year, we celebrated Kick Butts Day with over 1,000 events across the country. Now we need your help to make Kick Butts Day 2011 better than ever.

Take advantage of several ways to support Kick Butts Day that will make a huge difference in our fight against Big Tobacco. Big Tobacco never takes a break and neither should we!

There are several ways to get involved!

Kick Butts Day is fast approaching! Get-ting involved is quick and easy. Log on to www.kickbuttsday.org today!

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TRIBUTE GIFTSNovember 1, 2010- February 14, 2011

The following people have made gifts in honor or in memory of a loved one, friend, or colleague.

The names below represent a special expression of support for the work that the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has done and will do in the future to protect people across the globe.

In Honor of:

Dr. Josh MatthewsMs. Becky WarnkeDr. Aaron ZieglerDr. Jenny LaughlinMs. Sarah McCaulMs. Ambara CalvertDr. Harry EgazarianDr. Diane Opata-Phufrom Ms. Christine Fenlon

Peter Sturmfrom Mr. Mark Morabito

David and Gail Englertfrom Ms. Susan Englert

In Memory of:

Charles Westonby Ms. Jacqueline Bolt

Adeline McConnellby Robert McConnell

Edith Parsonby Ms. Charlotte M. Mabe

Alfred K. Gandyby Ms. Helen Black Mr. and Mrs. Edward R. Glover Mr. and Mrs. Steve Percival Feminist Majority Foundation

Ardith Dentzerby Eliza and Alice Rodi

Roger Grushoffby Mr. Peter Tytell

Judy Lentiniby Kary & Rick Tontarski

Jan Loweby Relay Federal Credit Union

Caroline Spazianteby Mrs. Mary Ann Morris

Mrs. Amy Hainesby Mr. Jules Lashenick

Douglas Kiddby Swansboro High School Ms. Jackie Fowler Ms. Evelynline Baxter Ms. Brenda Pace Ms. Dot Bishop Ms. Cindy Duncan

Norton Smiley by Ballinger Sunshine Club

thank you for your support

GIVE A TRIBUTE GIFT

Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, memorials…why not commemorate those occasions in the name of the ones you love by giving a gift donation in their honor or memory?

When your gift in honor or in memory is received, we will promptly send a personalized tribute card to the person or family you indicated, notifying them of your thoughtful donation.

To donate in memory or honor of some-one special, contact Louella Haymon at lhaymon@tobaccofreekids.org or log on to www.tobaccofreekids.org/donate

Look for a Kick Butts Day event in your com-munity

Spread the word about Kick Butts Day to your network

Donate to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

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36%Use of smokeless tobacco (e.g. snuff and chewing tobacco) by high school boys has climbed 36% since 2003.

Mr. William D. Novelli McDonough School of Business

Mr. Lance ArmstrongLance Armstrong Foundation

Ms. Leslie BainsCiti Private Bank

Dr. Dileep G. Bal, M.D.Kauai District Health Office

Ms. Nancy BrownAmerican Heart Association

Mr. Christopher Conley Tricadia Municipal Management

Ms. Barrie FiskeTobacco Control Advocate

Mr. Michael Moore Mike Moore Law Firm, LLC

Mr. Matthew L. Myers Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Mr. Kyle PichaNational Youth Advocate of the Year

Mr. John R. Seffrin, PhD American Cancer Society

Mr. Jonah ShacknaiMedicis Pharmaceutical Corporation

Mr. Mark K. ShriverSave the Children

Dr. David R. Smith, M.D. SUNY Upstate Medical University

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SAVE THE

DATEGalaYOUTH ADVOCATES of the YEAR AWARDS

May 18, 2011Honoring Champion Award Recipient, the Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the United States Department of Health

and Human Services, our outstanding youth advocates and U.S. and international tobacco

control leaders.

15th Annual

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel | Washington, DCLearn more at www.yayagala.org

Matthew L. MyersPresident

Jacqueline M. BoltVP, Finance and Administration

Peter H. FisherVP, State Issues

Anne FordVP, Federal Relations

John M. KeightleyVP, Development

Danny McGoldrickVP, Research

Yolanda RichardsonVP, International Programs

Vince WillmoreVP, Communications

STAFF LEADERSHIP

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids1400 Eye Street NW, Suite 1200Washington, DC 20005www.tobaccofreekids.org