This was the presentation I did for the Native Friendship Centre. It was geared towards youth aged 6-13

2. WHAT IS TOBACCO?
Tobacco is a plant that grows in nature, although the tobacco that
you see in convenience stores and grocery stores is far from
natural.
When a tobacco plant is harvested it goes through certain changes
to become what is typically known as commercial tobacco.
-Tobacco is harvested when ripe
-It is then dried (or cured), either in by flue-curing , air-curing or
sun-curing
Photo: http://www.braidedbowerfarm.com Photo: http://www.pipemakersforum.com

3. WHAT IS TOBACCO?
-After curing the leaves will have
turned brown
-Once the leaves are completely
dry they are sold to manufacturers
and shredded
-Shredded tobacco is treated
with thousands of poisonous
chemicals before being
rolled into a cigarette, cigar,
cigarillo, little cigar, or into
spit tobacco.
Photo: http://cigarettesreporter.com
Photo:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2007/10/shredded_toba
cco.jpg

4. WHAT IS NICOTINE?
Nicotine is the main ingredient in all of Big Tobacco’s products.
Cigarettes, chew and little cigars are all made to be effective at getting
nicotine into your body.
It is extremely addictive! Some scientists believe that it is just as, if not
more, addictive than cocaine or heroin!
It acts mostly on the brain; altering people’s moods (making them feel
better), their appetites (making them feel less hungry) and makes them
feel more alert (but only for a little while).
Photo:
https://committedquitters.nicodermcq.com/PageFiles/990/truth_about_nicotine_02.jpg

5. IMMEDIATE EFFECTS ON YOUR BODY
After the first puff:
First, the smoke leaves a nasty brown film on your teeth…
Once the smoke reaches your lungs, nicotine enters your blood stream. As
it hits your adrenal glands it releases adrenaline and gives you a short
energy boost.
Your heart rate increases, your blood pressures does too.
With that your blood vessels constrict (get smaller) making your heart work
harder to get blood through your body.
Meanwhile, carbon monoxide is building up in your blood which makes it
harder for your body to transport oxygen to your organs.
Finally, your blood stream carries nicotine up to your brain which triggers it
to explode with dopamine, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter (the “high”
feeling).
After 5 minutes:
Your body is coming down from the sudden burst of energy, soon after it
will begin to feel like you need it, you may experience a headache or a
“craving”.

6. TOBACCO USE ON YOUR HEALTH
Tobacco use can cause many
different cancers: Acute
myeloid leukemia, Bladder
cancer, Cancer of the cervix,
Cancer of the esophagus,
Kidney cancer, Cancer of the
larynx (voice box), Lung
cancer, Cancer of the oral
cavity (mouth), Pancreatic
cancer, Cancer of the pharynx
(throat), and Stomach cancer
Tobacco and tobacco smoke
contains over 4000 chemicals
and 48 of them are known to
cause cancer.
Photo: http://www.revereradionetwork.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/bf178fe8c8_smoking-
and-health-problems-4.gif

7. TOBACCO USE ON YOUR HEALTH CONT’D
Smoking causes an estimated 90%
of all lung cancer deaths in men
and 80% of all lung cancer
deaths in women.
There is no risk-free level of
exposure to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke causes
numerous health problems in
infants and children, including
severe asthma
attacks, respiratory
infections, ear infections, and
sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS). Some of the health
conditions caused by
secondhand smoke in adults
include heart disease and lung
cancer.
Photo: betterhearingblog.com

8. HOW DOES BIG TOBACCO GET YOUTH HOOKED?
T H E Y A D D
F L A V O U R S
T H E Y C R E A T E N E W
P R O D U C T S

9. Big Tobacco knows that
people are beginning to quit
using their products or not
even start.
“CTUMS has reported a
decline in the overall
current smoking rate among
Canadians aged 15 years
and older from 25% in 1999
to 17% in 2011.”
They need to come up with
new, creative ways to
encourage you(th) to try
their products…
FLAVOURED TOBACCO PRODUCTS
Can you spot the Chew Tobacco
tins?

10. Another “popular” flavoured
product was the cigarillo. Now
illegal, this was a mini-cigar-
inspired product that came in
flavours like Cherry, Vanilla, Apple
Martini, Grape, and Chocolate Mint.
It was sold in youth-friendly
packages of 5 or individually as a
“try-me” product.
Bill C-32 made it illegal to sell these
tobacco products but Big Tobacco
is still producing them in larger
packages, without a filter and 0.01
gram bigger.
They all still contain flavours.
FLAVOURED TOBACCO PRODUCTS

11. THE “NEW” LITTLE CIGARS
Cigarillos before the Law “Little Cigars” after the Law
Can YOU see a
difference?

12. “Cherry Skoal is for somebody
who likes the taste of candy, if
you know what I'm saying…”
-US Smokeless Tobacco
Company Executive
"We did not look at the underage market
even though I am holding a document in
my hand that says we did."
-Videotaped testimony in the Minnesota
lawsuit.
TOBACCO INDUSTRIES KNOW WHAT THEY ARE
DOING… AND DO IT ON PURPOSE!
"Realistically, if our Company is to survive and
prosper, over the long term, we must get our
share of the youth market. In my opinion, this will
require new brands tailored to the youth market."
-Claude Teague, RJR, "Research Planning
Memorandum on Some Thoughts About New
Brands of Cigarettes for the Youth Market,"
February 2, 1973.