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Students Working Against Tobacco - SWAT
SWAT was established in the fall of 2004 at
Buffalo High School. Students who joined SWAT
attended monthly meetings and participated in
tobacco prevention activities. Matt Lakin
founded the group and was responsible for
organizing activities and much of the publicity
for two years. He also wrote, produced and
starred in several television commercials with
other SWAT members.
Many SWAT activities revolved around Kick Butts Day, a
national campaign that can be veiwed at
www.kickbuttsday.org
Attendees of the first SWAT meeting: Lily
Bliss, John Camino, Jason Gearhart, Lyndsay
Groteluschen, Matt Lakin, Adam Michelena, Cami
Nikont, Dillon Palczewski, Chris Prosinski,
Nellie Reid, Aaron Rodriguez, Casey Ruff, Josh
Smith, Jill Trabing, Josie Vaselin, Spencer
Young (15 others joined within a few months).
The first year, SWAT members conducted
presentations at Clear Creek School and inspired
60 students to form Jr. SWAT.
SWAT continues to conduct school and community based
activities to educate students and the community
about tobacco use.
Picture 1: Dillon, Matt, John, Aaron next to a What's in a
cigarette? display at BHS.
Picture 2: Red flags signifying the 1300 smokers who die each
day fin the US.
If you are
interested in learning more about SWAT or would
like to become involved, please call Rosemarie
Davidson at 684-7933.
TOBACCO IS A
GATEWAY DRUG
Youth between the ages of 12 and 17 years old
who had smoked in the past 30 days were 3 times
more likely to have consumed alcohol, 8 times
more likely to have smoked marijuana and 22
times more likely to have used cocaine when
compared to those who had not smoked cigarettes.
NIDA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse,
1985.
PARENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Question: It is commonly understood that peer pressure
causes teenagers to begin smoking or using
drugs. Is that what really motivates them to
pick up dangerous habits?
Answer: That precise question was the subject of a
recent survey. The researchers studied more
than 16,000 schoolchildren in
Orange County, California. They found that it
was family members, not classmates or teachers,
who had the biggest influence on whether
children used drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. If
teenagers felt that their parents or siblings
approved of smoking, they were likely to follow
suit. And if there was one person who could
convince them not to participate, it was usually
a member of their own family. Many parents feel
that this is an area that can be left to the
schools, and they neglect to talk about it at
home. But this study and others have shown that
family pressure, not peer pressure, has the
greatest effect on children.99
Talk to your children about not smoking! If you smoke quit.
If you can’t quit, smoke outside and do not
smoke in the car. It’s a step in the right
direction, and your children will see that you
care about their health.
09 Lily Eng, "Study Measures Drug
Abuse by Orange County Students,"
Los Angeles Times,
16 January 1992, A1.
"This
is one of the few early warning signs we have in
public health. If we can prevent tobacco
use in the first place, we might have a big
impact on preventing or delaying a host of other
destructive behaviors among our young people."
Former Surgeon General Joyce Elders
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