New Board Members The American Legacy Foundation® recently welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors. Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. is a strong proponent for improved healthcare and preserving the environment, and Wyoming State Senator Charles Scott, R-Casper, brings healthcare policy experience and a passion for preventing youth access to tobacco.   National Board of Public Health Examiners Cheryl Healton, Dr. P.H., President and CEO of the foundation, has joined the effort to create a nationally recognized credentialing exam for public health professionals.   Community Activist Award Request For Nominations Click here to read more about this prestigious award and how you can nominate your colleagues in tobacco control. Deadline for submissions is September 28, 2007.

Message From The President Dear Colleague, Two reports related to our nation's smoking epidemic were released last month; one revealing stark evidence of a serious drug and smoking problem in middle and high schools and a second report proposing substantial ways to address the issue of tobacco use in our country. A study released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) provides evidence that at least once a week 31 percent of high school students and nine percent of middle school students see illegal drugs used or sold, or see other students high and/or drunk. The CASA report found that students at these "drug-infested" schools are four times more likely to smoke cigarettes than those at schools they term "drug-free." Other disturbing results show that teens who consider themselves among the most popular and who attend "drug-infested" schools are four and a half times more likely to smoke or chew tobacco than those at "drug-free" schools who consider themselves among the most popular. Read Article ...    Study Examines Teens' Perceptions of Peer Smoking The September issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health found that teens exposed to the truth® campaign had a more accurate view of how many of their peers smoke, while those with less campaign exposure were found to believe smoking was more common among their age group. Read Article ...    Twelve Programs Awarded Funding for Unique Approaches to Tobacco Prevention, Cessation and Education Web-based tobacco control interventions for low literacy populations, a workplace cessation and dental screening program, and a bilingual interactive cessation program for young adults are some of the unique projects being funded through the foundation's latest Small Innovative Grants program. Read Article ...    Exposure to Smoking in Movies Influences Teens to Become Established Smokers Smoking in movies continues to influence American youth to become addicted to one of the most deadly products legally available for consumption. A study released in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine shows a direct link between viewing smoking in movies and established adolescent smoking. Read Article ...    Legacy Partners with CDC to Bring truth® to More Youth Across the Country The foundation announced that it will deliver its successful truth® youth smoking prevention campaign to more youth across the country through a three-year, $3.6 million matching grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The foundation will increase its advertising in 41 cities, reaching a broader range of youth, including young people in surrounding smaller communities that typically have less exposure to such campaigns. Read Article ...