World No Tobacco Day is May 31^st – a day when the world unites to combat the destructive force of tobacco-related disease.

Tobacco kills nearly 7,000 Wisconsinites a year, which means tobacco companies must addict that many new customers a year just to maintain their business.  They also know that if they can hook kids early, they’ll have an excellent chance to keep them as lifetime customers.

So they created a new marketing plan to help lure new tobacco users.  And on World No Tobacco Day, we’re encouraging everyone in Milwaukee County to see it for what it is – and get involved.

New tobacco products come in candy flavors, like grape and cherry, and are packaged to look like candy. They’re also inexpensive.  This means a pack of 20 candy-flavored cigars can be bought in Wisconsin for as little as $3 while a pack of cigarettes can cost $6 to $8.

It doesn’t require a World No Tobacco Day to see this for what it is – an attempt by tobacco companies to exploit a loophole in state law to addict our children to nicotine.  Treating the sale of all tobacco in Wisconsin consistently would make it that much harder for tobacco companies to lure our kids into using their deadly products.

Our kids need help to become successful, healthy adults.  World No Tobacco Day is a chance to focus on a real threat to their future.  Let’s act!  To learn more about local tobacco prevention and control efforts, Tina Rivera at (414) 389-6501 or 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Thanks,

Marlon Tirado

Aimee Tucker

Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco

Wisconsin Hispanic Latino Tobacco Prevention Network