ETCADA

This is a common misconception among both users and non users, but the truth is that smokeless tobacco can be  just as deadly as smoking cigarettes.  There are at least 28 carcinogens (cancer causing agents) including arsenic and formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and surprising to many, as much as four times the nicotine as one cigarette.  It's quite easy to hold a "dip" or "chew" in the mouth for long periods of time, so not only is there more nicotine, meaning a greater chance of addiction, but damage can occur more quickly as well due to the long exposure of the soft issue in the mouth.  Oral cancers can occur within a short time of use and most are very aggressive.  Of those disagnosed with oral cancer, one out of two die within the first five years.

Smokeless tobacco is no joke and it's not cool. However, it's often associated with characteristics of strength and courage, something tobacco companies love to promote.  One of ETCADA's programs is working diligently to change the way smokeless tobacco is viewed.  Spotlight on Smokeless (SOS) was initiated last spring through funding by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS).  The program is designed to educate East Texas youth ages 12 to 18 on the dangers of smokeless tobacco.  East Texas has the highest smokeless tobacco use rate among youth in all of Texas.  On average, 26 percent of East Texas youth use, and in certain rural areas it's even higher.  SOS is a curriculum that addresses five issues, encompassing not only use but also promoting decision making and healthy choices.  The sessions include:  Smokeless Tobacco: What Is It and Who's Using it; Truth and Consequences: The Effects of Using Smokeless Tobacco; Smokeless Tobacco: Ads and Influences; My Choice About Smokeless Tobacco; and Staying Tobacco Free.  The program is unique in that it is presented by teachers that students know and see every day.  ETCADA's Smokeless Tobacco Education Specialist, Janet Splawn, works with schools throughout the 23-county region, getting administrators on board and training teachers to implement the program within their classrooms.  Originally the goal was to utilize Vocational Agricultural programs, however, since its inception, the program has expanded to include health and science related classes as well.  The program has been received well by most of the East Texas schools and since it began last March, almost 4,000 East Texas youth have been educated, and the program will continue throughout the spring semester and hopefully begin again in the fall.  This program provides good information to both youth and adults and is a positive step in preventing and reducing the use of smokeless tobacco in East Texas.