Celebrate the Great American Spit Out on February 24!

January 20, 2011 -- According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent National Youth Tobacco Survey, smokeless tobacco, or spit tobacco, is one of the most commonly used forms of tobacco among middle and high school students.  This suggests that as more schools and public places go smoke-free, there is an increased need to pay careful attention to spit tobacco use, as it is much more difficult to detect than cigarette use.  The Great American Spit Out, held this year on February 24, is a great opportunity to start paying attention to this addictive, cancer-causing substance.

Spit tobacco is an easily concealed method of tobacco use, and is considered ideal for consumption in schools by students trying to hide their tobacco use from adults.  Tobacco industry tactics are also cause for concern as spit tobacco manufacturers have youth in mind as they add child-friendly or “candy-like” flavors to their products, and advertise in magazines with high youth readership, like Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone.

The Great American Spit Out, modeled after the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, provides an opportunity to encourage spit tobacco users to quit and for schools and communities to examine what is being done to keep kids completely tobacco-free.

A free Great American Spit Out toolkit with customizable community activities and resources is available from the Wyoming Department of Health.   In addition, the Department of Defense’s Great American Spit Out page provides a wide range of resources to help youth quit as well as free, customizable materials for promoting awareness about spit tobacco, as a part of their larger Quit Tobacco – Make Everyone Proud campaign. 

For more information on tobacco use prevention through schools, visit the National Consortium on Tobacco Use Prevention through Schools website, or email schoolhealth@nsba.org.  Our website includes a “Tobacco Use Prevention 101” packet, web links to other helpful resources, and a database which provides background information, sample policies, and other useful resources.