FFCS’s Reality Check wants you
to know that Feb. 13-17 is “Through with Chew Week.” Through With
Chew Week was established in Wyoming in 1989 and is an educational
campaign to decrease spit tobacco use and increase awareness of
the negative health effects of using this product.
The tobacco industry is marketing spit tobacco as a safe
alternative to smoking by using advertisements to counter the
Clean Indoor Air Laws in smoke-free states such as ours and in
such places where the law prohibits - offices, bars, restaurants,
and airline flights.
Spit tobacco is associated with tooth and gum disease,
cardiovascular disease, and cancer of the esophagus, larynx,
stomach, pharynx, and pancreas. These conditions are caused by
constant exposure to chemically enhanced spit tobacco. Early
warning signs are white patches and sores in the mouth, a lump
anywhere in the mouth or neck, trouble chewing, swallowing, or
moving the tongue or jaw.
Any concerned group(s) who may be interested in educating the
community about the negative effects of spit tobacco and want to
help spit tobacco users quit, can participate in Threw With Chew
Week. For more information, visit the Through With Chew Web site
at www.throughwithchew.com.
Make the choice to try quitting on The Great American Spit Out,
Thursday, Feb. 16. Talk with your doctor, dentist, or a health
professional about available quit medications and products or call
the New York State Smokers' Quit for help at 1-866-697-8487
(1-866-NY-QUITS).
Reality Check (www.realitycheckny.org)
is an organization created by teens to expose the tricks, lies,
and manipulation that the tobacco industry relentlessly uses to
get kids to smoke and chew. If you are interested in more
information about joining FFCS’s Reality Check, call Suzanne
Hagadorn (shagadorn@catholiccharitiesmc.org),
Coordinator of Montgomery County Reality Check, at 842-4202 x3122.
