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Each day more than 3,000 young people begin smoking. The tobacco industry spends nearly $16 million
every day promoting their products in order to replace the thousands of customers who either die or quit
using these products.
A 1981 Philip Morris internal document states “Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular
customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens…
The smoking patterns of teenagers are particularly important to Philip Morris.”
The Florida Youth Tobacco Prevention Program was created to empower
young people to counter Big Tobacco’s marketing tactics and change
attitudes about tobacco. Today’s teens think for themselves and are
not afraid to speak their mind. Their ultimate goal is to ensure
their generation is not devastated by the sickness and death caused
by tobacco.
A strong, in-your-face advertising brand and symbol for youth rebelling against
the manipulation used to sell tobacco products. “truth” is a generation united against
tobacco, a generation of teens who no longer want to be targeted by tobacco advertising
and lured into the addictive use of cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco
A youth-led organization that creates and implements youth-targeted
events and activities around the ‘truth’ message, allowing teens
to talk directly to other teens about manipulation by supporters
of tobacco.
Provides a means for Florida’s youth to develop and
coordinate a unified assault on tobacco’s sales pitch in their
communities Encourages youth to become effective advocates and leaders
in their communities Provides youth with ‘real life” experiences through
planning, executing and evaluating tobacco prevention activities Trains youth to be more effective in all endeavors
they choose to undertake
If you are in middle or high school in Pinellas County and are interested in joining SWAT, please call the
SWAT coordinator at 727-824-6900 x 11195.
Please click the following link for places to go for help to quit smoking: www.PinellasWellness.com/pdf/SmokingCessationReferralList.pdf 
(28kb pdf)
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