With students back in their classrooms, Phillip Morris USA, the leading cigarette manufacturer in the U.S., is hard at work deceiving teachers and parents.

In the last couple of weeks, glossy informational packets from Phillip Morris with “Youth Smoking Prevention” materials have been distributed. In addition, television advertisements promoting the Phillip Morris Web site on youth smoking prevention are being broadcast across the state.

Teachers and parents should be warned that the tobacco industry’s “educational” materials are not only ineffective, but they are designed to advertise the company name and build an image of “corporate responsibility.”

The tobacco industry’s prevention efforts do far more harm than good.

Tobacco companies spend $162 million per year in Oregon alone marketing their products. At the same time, a national study just released revealed that the tobacco companies are increasing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes, especially in brands that are most appealing to youth. As people become aware of the dangers of smoking and the importance of quitting, we see products that are more appealing and addicting, including “candy flavored” cigarettes.

Clearly, the tobacco companies are interested in addicting new customers, not preventing youth smoking.

Recently, a federal judge ruled that the nation’s top cigarette manufacturers, including Phillip Morris USA, violated racketeering laws. All were found guilty of lying to the public and marketing to children. In her ruling, Judge Gladys Kessler said, “the defendants lied, misrepresented and deceived the American public, including smokers and the young people they avidly sought as ‘replacement smokers,’ about the devastating health effects of smoking and secondhand smoke.” The tobacco companies are only interested in recruiting new users and keeping current customers addicted.

The youth in our community deserve more than these counter-productive efforts from tobacco companies. Tobacco use kills 83 Clatsop County residents each year and our community has one of the highest rates of tobacco use among both youth and adults in the state of Oregon. This underscores why it is important to continue to use prevention strategies that work, such as implementing research based drug and alcohol curriculum in our schools, creating smokefree environments and role-modeling healthy behaviors.

If you need prevention and education materials or information about how to stop using tobacco call Tara Finch, tobacco specialist at Clatsop County Health and Human Services at 325-8500.

Also, the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line is a free service that offers quitting resources and one-on-one telephone counseling. In fact, the Quit Line is currently offering FREE nicotine replacement patches to eligible individuals through December. You can gain access to this resource at 1-877-270-STOP (7867) or (http://www.oregonquitline.org/).

Alissa Dorman is chairwoman of the Tobacco Free Coalition of Clatsop County