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 Smoking prevention messages can impact entire families. For Cyrus and his family, just one presentation meant a healthier life. When Cyrus was in the 5th grade, the high school’s Chem Free Committee came to his class to talk about the dangers of smoking and other substance abuse issues. Cyrus says it immediately had an impact on him and how he perceived tobacco use.
“I know they impacted my life because I got my dad to stop chewing tobacco within the next month. My dad has never chewed since then. Since that day I knew that I would never chew or do anything with tobacco or drugs.” Cyrus credits the kids from Chem Free, an anti-tobacco, drug and alcohol program funded by the Fund for a Healthy Maine, as the reason he’s never used tobacco products. “Thanks to them I will be one less person to get lung cancer or any other cancers you can get from smoking.”
The Fund for a Healthy Maine was established from the payments the state has received from the Master Settlement Agreement between the states and the major tobacco companies. Maine is one of just five states in the U.S. that fully fund tobacco control and prevention spending programs at the levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cyrus has come full circle. Now that he is in high school, he’s joined the Chem Free Committee, working to keep other kids smokefree. |
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