Made in the USA: Child Labor and Tobacco

Dangerous farming equipment, extreme temperatures, exposure to toxic chemicals and pesticides, very low pay, young kids working 12+ hour days. Sounds like the description of cheap labor on foreign farms that produce as much as they can at the lowest possible cost- despite the impact on the employees.

That is exactly what is happening, only it's NOT foreign.
It's happening right here in the United States.

In Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia U.S. tobacco farms are employing children as young as 12 years old to work on tobacco farms. And all the big tobacco manufacturers and merchants are benefiting from buying the product. Alliance One, Altria (Philip Morris), British American Tobacco, China National Tobacco, Japan Tobacco Group, Lorillard, Philip Morris International, Reynolds American, Universal Corporation.

In an 8-minute documentary by Human Rights Watch (video below) called: US: Child Workers in Danger on Tobacco Farms, the harsh conditions and workers on these tobacco farms are shown.

With good intentions the "made in the U.S.A." movement spreading throughout the country is partially focused on stopping child labor. Instead of buying from other countries, we look for products made in the U.S.A. with a focus on supporting American jobs, the American economy, and saying no to foreign child labor. Unfortunately, exploiting children isn't exclusive to other countries. It's happening right here in the U.S.A.



So what can we do? How can we help?

Watch the documentary. Share the story. Talk with family and friends about the importance of kids being in school. Keep working to reduce tobacco use throughout the U.S.A. and the world. If the demand for tobacco goes away, there will be no need for the supply. Which in turn means there will be no need for cheap labor to produce it (ie. kids).


For more information on the topic take a look at the Human Rights Watch article,
US: Child Workers in Danger on Tobacco Farms | Human Rights Watch. (2014, May 14).

Quit Help at CVS Health

Every time I think about CVS making the decision to remove tobacco from the power wall I get a surge of excitement! What a great step towards healthier communities!

Almost a month before the planned day to remove tobacco from shelves at CVS, tobacco disappeared from CVS shelves last week on September 3, 2014.

I have been asked, "what do you think will replace the tobacco products behind the counter?" a few times and was waiting to see what would happen. Would they move other products to fill the space? Magazines? Candy? What would it be like? At my local CVS store and all around the country, the change was incredible. Take a look at the photo I took at the Neenah CVS last week. The perfect replacement of tobacco- quit encouragement and help!

CVS is making a difference in our communities by promoting help to quit smoking and creating a healthier environment. You can spread the word and support CVS in their effort to make a healthier environment. Just grab a piece of paper and write out your #OneGoodReason to stay tobacco free. Take a photo of your reason and share it. Follow #OneGoodReason on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to see what other reasons people have to stay tobacco free

Take a look at our FACT youth (Calista, Ally, and Jamie) and advisers (Anna and Brenna) below. There are thousands of reasons to stay tobacco free. What's your #OneGoodReason

 

Thanks CVS. We are with you. Rock on!
-Anna

Summer Fun with FACT
and the re:TH!NK Youth Coalition

FACT and the re:TH!NK Youth Coalition has been (and will continue to be) busy this summer! Our foucs has been on tobacco prevention and community education. Check out the photos below to see what we've been up to and how YOU can get involved!

World No Tobacco Day Cigarette Butt Clean Up: Menominee Park

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for 10% of adult deaths worldwide.

May 31 marked World No Tobacco Day 2014. Youth Coalition members decided that a cigarette butt clean up would be a great activity to do on this day. :)

The group met at Menominee Park and picked up cigarette butts and related cigarette litter around Little Oshkosh, the park pathways, boat landings, picnic areas, and along the lake shore by the beach. Pictured below are Ally Molinski, Anna Carpenter (FACT Youth Advisor), Jamie Constantine, and Brenna Root (Youth Coalition Coordinator). Grace Halstead and her mom also helped out but did not make it into the photo. The cigarette butts that were picked up in the park will be added to a display the Youth Coalition will use to educate the community about the importance of tobacco free areas and the environmental impact that cigarette butts have on the environment.

Find out more info about the World Health Organization and World No Tobacco Day across the United States here!

Environmental Scans: A Tobacco Environment Scavenger Hunt

Six youth coalition members took to the streets of Oshkosh and surveyed local convenience stores to find out what types of products the tobacco industry is trying to manipulate youth into buying. The tobacco industry, aka Big Tobacco, spends the majority of their marketing budget in the retail environment to attract new, young users to their products. Youth coalition members did and environmental scan of their community to see how these products are being marketed in Oshkosh. Pictured below are Kaylyn Stanek, Hannah Schacherl, and Branden Udulutch. Ally and Calista Molinski, and Rachel Lee also participated. 

Youth Coalition members found that Big Tobacco companies are placing their deadly products where youth will be exposed to them while shopping at gas stations. One youth member, Ally, was surprised to see the cigarillos in a colorful display right next to the door! Cigarillos are a type of "other tobacco product," OTP, and these products are targeted towards a youth audience with bright colors and fruit flavors. Find out more about Big Tobacco's Manipulicious Products here and play the Spot the Not game with FACT!

Oshkosh Riverwalk Cigarette Butt Clean Up

The re:TH!NK Youth Coalition and FACT teamed up to clean up cigarettes butts along the Oshkosh Riverwalk August. The group picked up cigarette butts and related cigarette litter along Riverwalk. Pictured below are Alex Udulutch, Kiersten Tosch, Sara Matuszak, Ally Molinski, and Jamie Constantine. Brenna Root (Youth Coalition Coordinator) also helped out but did not make it into the photo because she was taking it. :) The cigarette butts that were picked up in the park will be added to a display the Youth Coalition will use to educate the community about the importance of tobacco free areas and the environmental impact that cigarette butts have on the environment. 

More Exciting Upcoming Events!

Pollock Pool FACTivism

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

12-2pm

Youth Coalition Meetings

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

New Moon Cafe, Oshkosh

For more information and if you'd like to get involved with FACT and the re:TH!NK Youth Coalition, contact Brenna Root at broot@co.winnebago.wi.us

Blog written by Brenna Root - originally on http://rethinkwinnebago.blogspot.com/

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Thursday (4/24/14) it's plan to extend it's control of tobacco products to include cigars, little cigars, dissolvable products, hookah, and e-cigarettes. The proposed rule would required people purchasing the tobacco product to show a photo ID and would prohibit the sale and purchase of the product to those under 18 as well as create a few other restrictions on the products.

By far the most newsworthy piece of the proposed regulation, e-cigarettes. Most likely if you listened to the morning news, checked a news website or social media page you heard something about the proposed regulation.

Let's run through what this proposed regulation looks like, specifically for e-cigarettes.

1. Current producers of e-cigarettes would be required to provide justification for remaining on the market, provide an ingredient list, and disclose the manufacturing process and scientific data.
2. New e-cigarette producers would be required to get FDA approval before being sold.
3. Selling e-cigarettes to minors would be illegal.
4. Selling e-cigarettes in vending machines in a place kids are allowed would be illegal.
5. Giving away free samples of e-cigarettes would be illegal.
6. E-cigarettes would have a warning label stating they contain nicotine, which is addictive.
7. E-cigarette manufacturers would be able to claim that their product provides reduced risk IF the FDA confirms scientific evidence supporting the claim, and confirms marketing the product will benefit public health.

Whew. That is a lot to take in. So, the FDA has proposed these new regulations and will be accepting public comment for 75 days, starting today (4/25/14). If you have thoughts on this issue I encourage you to be part of the process by submitting a comment to the FDA. We'll get more information posted once we have it.

For more information on the proposed ruling check out the information below.

FDA Press Release
FDA Proposed Regulation
CNN
New York Times
ABC News Video
NPR Blog