Tobacco.org

Great American Smokeout to be held on UCO Campus 

The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) will host an event for the 34th Annual Great American Smokeout on November 17, 2009. The event will be in the Pegasus Theatre in the Liberal Arts building from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM. The Great American Smokeout is a day to encourage smokers to quit as well as inform them of tools offered to help them quit.

The event on UCO's campus will include watching a section of the movie "Scene Smoking" with discussion and questions to follow. There will be booths available outside the theatre with resources and tools to help people quit smoking, as well as information on other tobacco related topics.

One of the booths at the event will focus on the tobacco industry marketing towards college-age adults. This is an ideal group for the tobacco industry to target because they are of legal age to smoke, yet they are vulnerable to being influenced because they are exploring new freedom living away from home. These young adults also have a desire to fit in to their new environment and the tobacco industry works to make it appear that the norm on campus is to be a smoker.

Tobacco companies help make smoking "cool" by sponsoring fraternity and sorority events, bar nights, concerts, as well as other events that appeal to this age group. They give out free gifts and free cigarettes, and also host popular concerts. Tobacco companies hire attractive individuals to attend these events to ask these students to let them scan their driver's license to enter them in a drawing or in exchange for a free gift. They use the information that was scanned to begin sending direct marketing to the student in the form of coupons and cigarette offers. These and other techniques for marketing will be shared at the Great American Smokeout event.

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