Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

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Overview

For ten years, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has been a leader in America’s fight to reduce smoking and its devastating toll in health, lives and health care costs.

Mission

To prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit, and protect everyone from secondhand smoke. We strive to build a healthier future for everyone by changing public attitudes and public policies regarding tobacco use.

Program

We work to put in place nationally and in every state and community the policies and programs that the U.S. Surgeon General and other scientific experts have recommended as the most effective ways to reduce smoking. The Campaign uses advertising and public education campaigns, coalition building and grassroots mobilization, polling and other research, and direct advocacy of elected officials to accomplish our goals. Specifically we work to: educate the public and policy makers about tobacco’s problems and solutions; expose and counter tobacco industry efforts to market to children and mislead consumers; advocate for proven policies to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke; mobilize organizations and individuals to join our fight; and empower a tobacco-free generation by fostering youth leadership and activism.

Impact

Because of strategies the Campaign vigilantly promotes – including smoke-free laws, tobacco tax increases, and strong funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs – the U.S. is making significant progress in reducing tobacco use.

Since the Campaign was founded in 1996, smoking has declined by 37 percent among high school students and 15 percent among adults. In recent years, 42 states have increased tobacco taxes, and 16 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have passed smoke-free laws that include restaurants and bars. We are confident we have made significant contributions to these dramatic gains.

CEO

In 1996, Matthew L. Myers helped to found the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and has been with the Campaign since its inception. Initially, he served as its Executive Vice President and Legal Counsel and oversaw the Campaign’s advocacy efforts. In 1997, Mr. Myers participated in the negotiations that led to an unprecedented agreement between the tobacco industry and the states. He then served as one of the leading spokespersons for public health in the debate that followed in Congress and worked with Senator John McCain on his 1998 comprehensive tobacco legislation.

On January 1, 2000, Mr. Myers became the Campaign’s President succeeding Bill Novelli. Later that year, Mr. Myers was named by President Clinton to co-chair a Presidential Commission to examine the economic problems being experienced by tobacco farmers and their communities and recommend possible solutions.

In 2004, the Harvard School of Public Health bestowed the prestigious Julius B. Richmond award on Mr. Myers for his work as an advocate in preventing tobacco industry marketing to children.

On October 26, 2007, the American Cancer Society honored Mr. Myers with its highest award, The Medal of Honor, for his work in the fight against cancer and

Board

William D. Novelli
Chief Executive Officer
AARP
Washington, D.C.

Matthew L. Myers
President
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Washington, D.C.

Treasurer
Christopher Conley
Program Manager
Cohen & Company
Stamford, Conn.

Members

Dileep G. Bal, M.D.
District Health Officer
Kauai District Health Office
Kauai, Hawaii

Barrie Fiske
Tobacco-Control Advocate
New York, N.Y.

Mike Moore
General Counsel – Litigation
Mike Moore Law Firm, LLC
Flowood, Miss.

C.J. Peterson
Incoming National Youth Advocate of the Year 2008
Atlantic, Iowa

John R. Seffrin, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
American Cancer Society
Atlanta, Ga.

David R. Smith, M.D.
President
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, N.Y.

Randolph Smoak, M.D.
Former President
American Medical Association
Orangeburg, S.C.

Kathy Staats
National Youth Advocate of the Year
Greendale, Wisc.

Cass Wheeler
Chief Executive Officer
American Heart Association
Dallas, Texas

Countries

Bangladesh, China, India, Russian Federation, Ukraine

States

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Contact

1400 Eye Street, N.W.
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 296-5469
www.tobaccofreekids.org
EIN: 52-1969967


Help Advocate for Change

One action alert

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Regular price $100.00

Your donation can send an Action Alert to a network of more than 120,000 E-Champions. E-Champions respond to Action Alerts by reaching out to elected officials and advocating on behalf of the public health community. They take action on a variety of local, state and federal issues by writing letters to the editor of their local paper, participating in virtual protests and call-in days, petitioning...


Kick Butts Day

School activity guides

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Regular price $20.00

Kick Butts Day is the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' annual celebration of youth leadership and activism, when thousands of kids around the world will stand out, speak up and seize control in the fight against Big Tobacco. KBD educates kids about the dangers of tobacco, while giving youth the tools to take matters into their own hands and achieve real results in tobacco prevention, control...


Empower Youth

Advocate training

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Regular price $65.00

Youth are the very best advocates for their own tobacco-free futures. Our Youth Advocates are true leaders at every level, serving the role of spokespersons, organizers, and liaisons to state and national programs. Youth Advocates participate in our annual Youth Advocacy Symposium in the nation's capital, where they learn to organize creative activism and public education campaigns that directly influence state and federal policy priorities....