"Caring is the root of courage. Courage is the fuel of commitment.
Commitment is the foundation of perseverance. Perseverance is the agent
of change."

Joe Tye, Never Fear, Never Quit

---

      Launching Quit Now NC!

Introduction and Thanks

The July 10th launch of Quit Now N.C.! was a great success! Over three hundred people participated in the Launch. We would also like to extend our particular thanks to our conference sponsors who made the event possible: the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, the North Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Branch, the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, and Medical Review of North Carolina. Quit Now N.C.! is a collaborative cessation network and is coordinated by North Carolina Prevention Partners (919 966-9137)

Highlights from the evaluations and goals

Conference evaluations indicated people are enthused by Quit Now N.C.! and the new resources. Participants came away from the conference with plans for utilizing and expanding the Quit Now N.C.! program in their areas. Many plan on contacting radio and TV stations, newspapers, and newsletters to promote the Quit Now N.C.! resources. Another common goal is to partner with other organizations to provide a stronger smoking cessation system within their region.

The National Cancer Institute and American Legacy Foundation’s Telephone Quitlines for Smoking Cessation Summary
 

• The National Cancer Institute has a smoking cessation telephone quitline. This resource is free and open between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays. Spanish interpreters and materials are available. There is a separate TTY (telephone typewriter for the hearing impaired) phone line available 1 (800) 332-8615. Callers may talk to counselors as often as needed. Counselors send materials and develop individual cessation plans. Counselors can make recommendations about the use of pharmaceuticals for quitting.

The NCI quitline is at (877) 44U-QUIT. The National Cancer Institute also has comprehensive information and resources, including instant  messaging counseling services, on-line at www.smokefree.gov.

• The American Legacy Foundation quitline is designed to meet the needs of pregnant smokers. Upon calling, an operator collects contact information and sends materials. The operator connects the caller with a smoking cessation counselor. This is a proactive phone line, which means the counselor may call back to check upon your progress. Spanish interpreters and materials are available, along with TTY (telephone typewriter) resources for the hearing impaired.
  

The Legacy Foundation hotline is administered in conjunction with the American Cancer Society; therefore, there are resources available for all tobacco users.

The Legacy smoking cessation quitline is at (866) 667-8278 twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Legacy on-line resources are available at americanlegacy.org/greatstart/html.

• New Smoking Cessation Resources Released at the Quit Now N.C.! Conference

• Quit Now N.C.! Smoking Cessation Guide - the Guide lists smoking cessation programs located throughout North Carolina. The Cessation Guide is located at quitnownc.org.

• Starting the Conversation – Are you ready to quit smoking? This new smoking cessation tool will help physicians meet the Surgeon General’s guidelines by incorporating the five A method of: ask, advise, assess, assist, and arrange. To order copies, please contact the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch at (919) 733-1340.

• Quit Now N.C.! website is located at quitnownc.org and lists comprehensive information and resources.

• Quit Now N.C.! outreach and recruitment brochure encourages health care professionals to join the Quit Now N.C.!

• Quit Now N.C.! Consumer Flyer lists cessation resources.

North Carolina Prevention Partners is excited by the response that the Quit Now N.C.! launch received. The conference was such a success and the toolkit in such demand that we hosted a condensed version of the conference at our annual conference on September 17 in Chapel Hill. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the success of the conference. In the words of one inspired participant - “It’s a great day for N.C.!”

If you have questions, please call Kalila Spain at (919) 966-9137 or Melva Fager Okun at (919) 843-4455.

 Table of Contents

New State Law Regarding Tobacco Use in Schools              

On July 16, 2003 the North Carolina General Assembly passed SB583 "Tobacco-Free Schools." The new state law requires all school districts to adopt and enforce, at minimum, a policy prohibiting all tobacco products by everyone during school hours. More importantly, the law establishes clear non-preemptive language that allows school districts to adopt and enforce a 100 percent tobacco-free school policy that prohibits all tobacco use by everyone at all times in school buildings, school facilities, on school property or during school-related or school-sponsored events.

During the past school year the number of school districts with a 100 percent tobacco-free policy has increased from 13 to 30! Currently, that means that 26 percent (national average is 45 percent) of North Carolina school districts now have a 100 percent tobacco-free school policy. North Carolina is still far below the national average, but the Branch is working closely with the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and other partners to greatly increase the percentage of tobacco-free schools in North Carolina over the next couple of years.

For more information, please contact Suzanne DePalma at (919) 715-4409 or email. You can access a list of all the tobacco-free school systems in North Carolina, with contact information, at  NC Tobacco Free Schools.
 

Table of Contents

2003 Youth Tobacco Survey

We were the best in the nation: let’s do it again!

The North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey is the single largest statewide youth survey in the state and has had an unprecedented participation rate. In 1999, North Carolina had a school district participation rate of 98 percent, the highest in the nation.  Rates this high don’t come easily—they are due to the hard work and dedication of school officials and tobacco prevention and control colleagues across the state! The Youth Tobacco Survey is a highly successful collaborative between the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services working together with the Safe and Drug Free School Coordinators from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.  We set the standard for the nation, and we can meet that standard again for 2003.

North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey more than just numbers
Data from Youth Tobacco Survey resulted in the Health and Wellness Trust Fund allocating $18.6 million for a three-year Teen Tobacco Initiative.  In order to measure progress towards reducing teen tobacco use, extend our prevention efforts, and dedicate future funding, we need a similar response rate from school districts, schools and students for the 2003 Youth Tobacco Survey.  It is high response rates that make the data convincing. We need to demonstrate that evidence based tobacco prevention programs work and show significant declines in youth consumption of tobacco.

Contact us
If you have questions or concerns, call Scott Proescholdbell, Epidemiologist, Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch at 919-715-3497 (scott.proescholdbell@ncmail.net) or Juanita Morrison, Safe and Drug Free Schools at 919-807-3945 (juanita.morrison@ncmail.net).
 

Table of Contents

North Carolina Youth Fight Back                                         

African American youth ranging in age from 13 to 18 came together to address youth and adult tobacco use among African Americans at the 7th Annual Ujima Tobacco Use Prevention Youth Retreat.  Ujima is one of the Kwannza principles, which means “collective work and responsibility.”

The purpose of the retreat is to bring together African American youth to train, educate, empower and develop life skills via youth and adult leadership training, cultural awareness and advocacy to reduce the tobacco use among African Americans. The youth retreat is funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and sponsored by the African American Action Team and the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch.

Youth attending the retreat participated in three different tracks based on their level of experience in tobacco prevention and control. First year youth participated in Tobacco 101- basic tobacco facts. Second year youth participated in policy and advocacy training, and third year student and beyond participated in data collection, focusing on the importance of how to collect and use data for intended purposes. Youth also participated in a web site development course designing and creating a web site at the retreat to promote the Ujima youth retreat for other African American youth across the state.

After two days of training, youth and adults hit the street to use their newly acquired skills to the community of Greensboro by participating in a number of community activities. Youth were involved with conducting opinion surveys about smoke-free restaurants, educating merchants in African American communities about the North Carolina law on selling tobacco to minors, and participated in a mock school board presentation on advocating for 100 percent tobacco free schools.
 

Table of Contents

Mission Accomplished

    (Editor’s note: This op/ed was submitted to the Wilmington Star-News.)

In a state like North Carolina, tobacco prevention and control is a touchy subject.  We are the third leading tobacco producing state with a long strong heritage of dependence on tobacco farming to sustain our economy. In fact, any number of legislators will tell you that tobacco money built this state.  Unfortunately, what they don’t tell you is that over a quarter of our high school students (27.8%) currently smoke and that close to 25,000 additional youth under 18 years of age become daily smokers each year.  Even more shocking is that over 200,000 current North Carolina youth will eventually die prematurely from smoking.  For people like Jim Martin, this was a travesty.  He, and other crusaders for tobacco prevention who volunteer with S.A.V.E. (Survivors and Victims of Tobacco Empowerment), work diligently every day to change youth attitudes and behavior about tobacco use  before it is too late.

It was a sad day when North Carolina lost a wonderful man and a terrific champion for tobacco education last month.  Jim Martin was more than a good man with a good heart: he was a hero.  He was a man full of compassion and dedicated to his self-proclaimed mission.  His mission was to teach young kids about the dangers of tobacco use.  This mission stemmed from his own battle with tobacco, a battle fought hard, but eventually lost.  

Jim traveled around the state as a representative for S.A.V.E. to tell his story; even though his story was difficult to tell.  He started smoking at the age of 11 and at 45 was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx.  He had his voice box removed and learned how to talk from his stomach through the hole (stoma) in his neck.  It was a difficult story for him to tell because esophageal speech is hard to learn and even more complicated to carry out.  In his work with S.A.V.E., Jim visited and influenced thousands of North Carolina youth.  He bravely shared his story and wasn’t ashamed to show kids the stoma in his neck, the remnant of what used to be a voice box, and the result of a life filled with tobacco use.  He would tell kids he met that he had a hole in neck because of 30 years of smoking and that it could happen to them too.  He was straight forward and truthful with them hoping to change one life.

A friend and S.A.V.E.’s Program Director, Katherine Hampton, shared her thoughts about Jim:  “Once Jim accepted his fate, I don’t think he ever looked back.  He took his life like it was and kept on going with it.  Like a kid who has fallen off a bike, he got right back on and kept on going despite the fact that he still suffered constant pain and stiffness in his neck... He used a tragedy and turned it around to make something good of it.  He was a continuous force pushing forward towards a cause he believed would make a better life for our youth.”

Katherine’s husband, Wade Hampton, also a laryngectomy survivor, praised Jim’s work, “Jim enjoyed interacting with school-age kids the most.  His presentations were lively, informative and from the heart.  People could feel Jim’s enthusiasm and sincerity about tobacco issues.  [In addition to his presentations] he realized that tobacco education and prevention needed more acceptance and commitment from the legislature.”  Jim also worked with the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission and worked with legislatures in the state House to assure money was appropriately spent on tobacco education.

A family physician in North Carolina, Dr. Adam Goldstein, said that “Jim’s legacy is one of personal courage, because he was willing to proclaim a vision for a tobacco-free North Carolina.  I remember when Jim went down to the North Carolina legislature and told it like it was, from his voice-box to their ears.  No one, even legislators, could hear his message without knowing that tobacco is deadly.”

Jim’s story ended abruptly when he died of a massive stroke on July 14, 2003, at 50 years of age.  He left behind his wife and two children who were amazed at the caring outpouring from the tobacco prevention community.  Jim was a modest man who rarely talked about his mission and sought no recognition.  His family didn’t seem to realize the impact he had on the tobacco prevention movement as well as on youth and adults alike all over North Carolina.

Jim and other champions for this cause should be praised and honored for their unselfish acts of compassion.  Out of his own personal tragedy, Jim created hope and shared that with young people from Wilmington to Asheville and beyond.  He wasn’t paid for speaking.  He did it because he cared.  In his own words, “I do it because it is what I want to do.  I don’t want them to make the same mistake [I did].”  He felt if he could just reach one kid and help him or her to not start or to quite smoking while they are still young, he would reach his goal.  Based on feedback from the youth he visited, Jim can rest knowing his mission was accomplished. 
 

    S.A.V.E. is an organization that recruits and trains tobacco survivors to share their stories with youth in
    school and community settings.  Their stories are provocative and real and have influenced many youth across
    the state.  For more information about S.A.V.E. go to www.tobaccosurvivors.org or send e-mail to
    info@tobaccosurvivors.org.

    Amy L. Ward
    Environmental Tobacco Smoke Training, Education and Prevention Program
    UNC-CH, Department of Family Medicine
 

    Table of Contents

---

Urban Legends Exposed: Glass and Fiber in Spit Tobacco?

(Editor’s Note: As a regular feature in The Voice Box, we will address Urban Legends about tobacco that we hear circulating in North Carolina and give the real information to correct them. So go ahead, ask a silly question, and let us know if you hear something that you are not sure is true. )

 
Myth: I have often heard educators and speakers say that tobacco companies put fiberglass or glass shards in spit tobacco to produce microscopic cuts in one’s mouth so that nicotine is absorbed quicker, and therefore addition is quicker.  I understand this is an urban legend, but would like some proof to back it up when trying to dispel the myth.  Can you please help?

Reality:  Paul Turner, Oral Health America, states that, "there is no documented evidence that manufacturers add fiberglass, glass or any other non-organic compound that would induce lesions or cuts within the mouth of the user."  There are a few schools of thought on how this became a myth.  Paul Turner speculates on how this urban legend began. He noted that some companies were re-adding extra tobacco remnants at the end of the every day to maximize production.  These “floor sweepings,” as they were called, were done in “clean rooms” however the idea of “floor sweepings” may have contributed to this myth.  Second, tobacco leaves themselves are fairly abrasive and are known to cause soft-tissue abrasions in the mouth, without any additional ingredients.  Third, part of a detailed compound analysis identified silicates in the particulate matter of spit tobacco.  While silicates are used to make glass, they are also found in sand and are likely a byproduct of the tobacco farming process and actually organic matter.  This sand would also contribute to the development of cuts and lesions in the mouth.

Sources:
• Bowles WH, Wilkinson MR, Wagner MJ, Woody RD, 1995.  Abrasive particles in tobacco products: a possible factor in dental attrition.  Journal of American Dental Association, March 1995: 126 (3); 327-31.
• Oral Health American’s National Spit Tobacco Education Program.

 
Table of Contents

WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
 

(Editor’s Note: If you have a web site you would like to recommend, send it to Julie Helsabeck and we will consider it for a future issue.)

In late June the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch launched a new website, WorkingSmokeFree.

• Update 12/2008: The WorkingSmokeFree site has been retired.

Table of Contents 

FYI: Recommended Resources

1. "Tobacco Control for Clinicians Who Treat Adolescents," A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
James D. Sargent, MD; Joseph R. DiFranza, MD. Volume 53, Number 2, March/April 2003. pages 102-123.

Recommended by Sally Herndon Malek, MPH, Branch Head, NC Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch.
Follow link to read in entirety: CAonline.AmCancerSoc.org

2. Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: Updated "Saving Lives" Video

TPCB has just received an updated version of "Tobacco Prevention: Saving Lives & Saving Money" CD. This CD contains an electronic version of the video, which is a shorter version. It also contains updated brochures, fliers, and fact sheets. For more/supplemental information and to request a copy, please visit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids web site:  www.tobaccofreekids.org

Table of Contents

Upcoming Events: September 2003 - March 2004

October 9, 2003
Teen Summit Robeson County Public Schools
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Bronwyn Glenn Lucas at 919-683-3088 or bronwyn@dacinc.org

October 13, 2003
Teen Empowerment Summit United We Stand Against Tobacco, Drugs and Teen Violence
by Onslow County Public Schools in partnership with Camp Lejune Schools
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

October 13, 2003
Tobacco Training First Health of the Carolinas
Richmond, Hoke, Montgomery and Moore
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Bronwyn Glenn Lucas at 919-683-3088 or bronwyn@dacinc.org

October 17, 2003
Adult Leader Training
Buncombe County
Foster Seventh Day Adventist Church Conference Center, Time TBD
Contact: Jeanne Dairaghi at 828-232-4424 or Jeanne.Dairaghi@buncombecounty.org

October 18, 2003
Tobacco Training
Union County
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Bronwyn Glenn Lucas at 919-683-3088 or bronwyn@dacinc.org

October 20, 2003
Tobacco Free Schools Youth Panel
Durham
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Bronwyn Glenn Lucas at 919-683-3088 or bronwyn@dacinc.org

October 20-22, 2003
Teaming up for 100% Tobacco Free Schools Workshop - Central Region
Durham Hilton
Contact: Suzanne DePalma at 919-715-4409 or suzanne.depalma@ncmail.net for (questions regarding the conference) or Frances Armstrong at 919-715-4268 or frances.armstrong@ncmail.net (for questions regarding registration or lodging)

October 25, 2003
African Americans and Tobacco
Raleigh
St. Augustine's College, Time TBD
Contact: Bronwyn Glenn Lucas at 919-683-3088 or bronwyn@dacinc.org

October 25, 2003
Media Literacy/Advocacy Training I
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

October 25, 2003
Youth Advocacy Training
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Jeanne Dairaghi at 828-232-4424 or Jeanne.Dairaghi@buncombecounty.org

November 4, 2003
Tobacco 101/Youth Advocacy Training
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Jeanne Dairaghi at 828-232-4424 or Jeanne.Dairaghi@buncombecounty.org

November 8, 2003
Media Literacy/Advocacy Training II
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

November 12, 2003
Tobacco-Free Schools Youth Panel
Asheville
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Jeanne Dairaghi at 828-232-4424 or Jeanne.Dairaghi@buncombecounty.org

November 12-14, 2003
Teaming up for 100% Tobacco Free Schools Workshop - Western Region
Asheville, Holiday Inn Sunspree
Contact: Suzanne DePalma at 919-715-4409 or suzanne.depalma@ncmail.net for (questions regarding the conference) or Frances Armstrong at 919-715-4268 or frances.armstrong@ncmail.net (for questions regarding registration or lodging)

November 15, 2003
African Americans and Tobacco
Winston-Salem University, Time TBD
Contact: Bronwyn Glenn Lucas at 919-683-3088 or bronwyn@dacinc.org

December 1-3, 2003
Teaming up for 100% Tobacco Free Schools Workshop - Eastern Region
Wilmington, Hilton Riverside
Contact: Suzanne DePalma at 919-715-4409 or suzanne.depalma@ncmail.net for (questions regarding the conference) or Frances Armstrong at 919-715-4268 or frances.armstrong@ncmail.net (for questions regarding registration or lodging)

January 10, 2004
Tobacco 101 for Youth Leaders
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

January 17, 2004
Tobacco 101 for Youth Leaders
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

February 21, 2004
Media Literacy/Advocacy Training I
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

March 20, 2004
Media Literacy/Advocacy Training II
Location and Time TBD
Contact: Steve Johnson at 910-790-9949 or stevejohnson@whatswhat.org  or  Terry Quinn at 252-439-8600 or terryquinn@whatswhat.org

Table of Contents

---

If you have feedback or comments please let us know, OR you can contribute your own story about tobacco prevention and control in N.C. Please send to Julie Helsabeck.