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Melissa Potter
- Jul 20, 2018
- 3 min
Senator Valesky meets with 150 NYS teens for #SeenEnoughTobacco rally in Cazenovia, applauds work to
Last week in Cazenovia, members of the Reality Check Program of Cortland, Tompkins & Chenango Counties joined 150 Reality Check teens representing every region of New York State to rally against what they say is deceitful marketing by the tobacco industry that kids find appealing. Protesting that they have #SeenEnoughTobacco, youth speakers cited 13 as the average age of a new smoker in the state, calling attention to the problem of tobacco marketing in stores where kids can
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Melissa Potter
- Feb 12, 2018
- 3 min
Tobacco Free Zone and Reality Check Youth Leaders Educated State Lawmakers About Tobacco Control Pro
New York State (NYS) Tobacco Control Partners and youth supporters were at the Capitol February 6, 2018 focusing not only on their successes, but on the unmet needs in tobacco control efforts around the state, particularly among highest need communities. Throughout New York, 33.7% of those with mental illness, 27.5% with less than a high school education and 26.8% who earn less than $15,000 a year smoke cigarettes. “We celebrate the adult smoking rate dropping to an all-time
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Melissa Potter
- Jan 30, 2018
- 2 min
Tobacco Free Zone: Finding Breathing Room Near You!
The Tobacco Free Zone/Reality Check program continues its pursuit in protecting young people from tobacco industry deceitful messaging, and protecting residents from harmful smoke exposure. Leading the way to engage community stakeholders to take action are dedicated youth involved in the Reality Check program. Last year, we highlighted the work of Rhett Genung and high school students in the Norwich City School District. Joining the effort this year is Pat Yaddow and studen
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Melissa Potter
- Dec 5, 2017
- 2 min
Airing Out Big Tobacco's Dirty Laundry
Starting on November 26, 2017, the major U.S. tobacco companies began running court-ordered ads on television and in newspapers that tell the American public the truth about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke, as well as the companies’ intentional design of cigarettes to make them more addictive. The ads are the culmination of a long-running lawsuit the U.S. Department of Justice filed against the tobacco companies in 1999. A federal court in 2006 ordered the tobacco
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Melissa Potter
- Dec 4, 2017
- 1 min
Dryden Village Board unanimously passed a local law for tobacco-free property
On November 16, 2017, the Village of Dryden joined more than 450 municipalities in New York State that have passed regulations restricting tobacco use in outdoor recreational areas - each of which demonstrates a healthy, tobacco-free community norm, especially for youth.
Boys from the William George Agency had an important role in bringing the smoking policy back to the forefront. In late fall 2016, Reality Check began working with boys in one of the cottages - learning sta
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Melissa Potter
- Jul 21, 2017
- 3 min
Local youth attend planning summit in fight against tobacco marketing in region, fight for tobacco-f
(Cortland, NY July 21, 2017) Cortland Junior Senior High School Senior Katherine Couture and Junior Kelsey Gibbons and Norwich High School Junior Steven King and Sophomore Morgan Burdick, local leaders in the statewide fight to protect future generations from the death and disease of tobacco use, have just returned from the annual Reality Check of New York Youth Summit at Cazenovia College in Central New York. Along with 150 other youth from around the state, they made plans
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Melissa Potter
- May 31, 2017
- 3 min
Cortland Teens Expose Big Tobacco
The fight against tobacco is about saving lives. It’s also about exposing the deceptive and manipulative practices of the tobacco industry that they use to target youth, which is the goal of Reality Check, a Tobacco Free Zone program through the Cortland County Health Department. Reality Check youth leaders from Cortland Junior Senior High School presented to the Cortland Rotary Club Tuesday on the impact of tobacco marketing has on youth, here in the City of Cortland. “The a
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