Last year, the tobacco industry spent an estimated $8.9 billion on marketing its products in the United States - most of which was spent targeting people between the ages of 18 and 24. The University of Colorado at Boulder, in hopes of curbing the number of smokers on campus, is hosting an informational meeting on campus tobacco issues on Friday, Nov. 15.
The meeting, sponsored by the Student Tobacco Education Program and the Student Wellness Program, will be held in room 1B29 of the Regent Administrative Center from noon to 1 p.m., and is free and open to the public. Desserts and beverages will be provided.
More than 40,000 people are estimated to die annually in the United States due to tobacco-related products, with the majority of these deaths caused by cancer and heart disease. Statistics also show most smokers start when they are young. An estimated $187 billion is spent annually on health-related costs pertaining to tobacco in the United States.
A recent CU-Boulder survey found that nearly one-third of Colorado young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 said they currently smoke cigarettes. "And on the CU-Boulder campus 93 percent of students who smoke want to quit," said Robin Kolble, coordinator of the Student Wellness Program.
In an effort to reduce these percentages, 15 Colorado colleges and universities have been provided with a three-year grant from the State Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership, a program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and through the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network. The purpose of the grant is to provide Colorado campuses with resources and materials to conduct comprehensive tobacco prevention programs.
The S.T.E.P. program is a comprehensive, year-round educational program that combines tobacco prevention, tobacco cessation for students who smoke and tobacco policy initiatives to help make the CU-Boulder campus healthier.
For more information, call Robin Kolble at (303) 492-8885.