Tag Archives: Tobacco

Tobacco-Free Chalk Art Contest Hosted by Reality Check on Saturday, July 26, 2025

LOCAL YOUTH HOST CHALK ART CONTEST AND WELLNESS FAIR TO SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNITY AND HIGHLIGHT HARMS OF TOBACCO Great photo, video, and interview opportunities CONTACT: Camryn Chaffee, 315-435-3280 ext. 4607, CamrynChaffee@ongov.net WHO: Reality Check youth from Onondaga, Cortland, Tompkins, and Chenango counties will volunteer and participate in the tobacco-free chalk art contest to educate and… Read more >

Unmasking the Appeal: Tobacco-Free CNY Recognizes World No Tobacco Day

TOBACCO-FREE CNY, MAY 30, 2025 –  This year, Tobacco-Free CNY recognizes World No Tobacco Day on May 31st with the theme selected by the World Health Organization (WHO), “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.” World No Tobacco Day is a day set aside each year to focus on educating on… Read more >

Local Onondaga County Reality Check Youth and Tobacco Control Representatives Take Tobacco Industry Fight to State Capitol

New Surgeon General’s Report highlights need for continued investment in tobacco control to reduce the appeal, availability and addictiveness of tobacco products  #SavesLivesSavesMoney  #TobaccoIsStillTakingLives  #TobaccoControlProgram TOBACCO-FREE CNY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025 – Reality Check youth from Onondaga County traveled to the Legislative Office Building at the New York State Capitol on February 12, joining dozens of… Read more >

Tobacco Industry’s Negative Impact on Environmental Health

ONONDAGA COUNTY, APRIL 19, 2024 – Earth Day comes around every year on April 22 and is used as a time to acknowledge the health of our environment and doing what we can to help. Clean-up events often happen in various settings such as parks, beaches, and schools. Unfortunately, tobacco products are a prevalent source… Read more >

Tobacco Flavors Target Youth

Additional restrictions on flavored tobacco products would reduce youth use ONONDAGA COUNTY, APRIL 10, 2024 – Tobacco flavors including menthol have long been used to hook youth on tobacco products. In addition to youth, flavored tobacco products have been heavily marketed to groups including the LGBTQIA+ community, and African Americans. These flavors can be found… Read more >

Reality Check and Tobacco-Free CNY Host Smoke-Free Movie Event

ONONDAGA COUNTY, MARCH 11, 2024 – On March 2, 2024, the Reality Check and Tobacco-Free CNY initiatives in Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oswego Counties collaborated to host a smoke-free movie event at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse, NY. The Reality Check team, composed of dedicated seniors from ITC High School, delivered a compelling speech on the… Read more >

For every $1 invested in tobacco control, New York State saves $11

Onondaga County tobacco control representatives meet with lawmakers to discuss NYS’s Tobacco Control Program ONONDAGA COUNTY, FEBRUARY 12, 2024 – On February 6th, Reality Check youth from the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, along with Onondaga County Health Department’s Tobacco-Free CNY staff and Tobacco Control Program partners from around the state traveled to the… Read more >

Upcoming $1 cigarette tax hike projected to save 15,300 New Yorkers’ lives

Higher costs deter youth from smoking, but flavored tobacco products continue to attract and addict new smokers Health care providers and the NYS Smokers’ Quitline offer support for quitting  ONONDAGA COUNTY, AUGUST 30, 2023 – Beginning Sept. 1, 2023, New York State’s cigarette tax will be the highest in the nation. The $1 hike is… Read more >

Tobacco-Free CNY and Statewide Partners Call Attention to the Tobacco Industry’s Practice of Marketing Menthol-Flavored Tobacco Products to the LGBTQIA+ Community

CENTRAL NEW YORK, JANUARY 23, 2023 – Tobacco-Free CNY and statewide partners are launching a new campaign, which puts the spotlight on the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing tactics and promotion of menthol-flavored tobacco products to the LGBTQIA+ community. By introducing the third phase of its statewide “It’s Not Just” campaign, Tobacco-Free CNY aims to educate… Read more >