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Abstract: 

Even though the rates of tobacco use among high school students have declined somewhat over the last several years, every day more than 4,000 young people under the age of 18 try their first cigarette, and some 2,000 become daily smokers (SAMHSA, 2003). Clearly, interventions that reduce the chances that young people will initiate tobacco use and progress to dependence are of crucial importance in reducing the harmful effects of tobacco use on our nation’s youth. In response to the dangers posed by tobacco use, and with funding from its share of the Master Settlement Agreement between the states and the leading cigarette companies, the Commonwealth of Virginia established the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF). The VTSF was chargedwith developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to reduce the use of tobacco products by its young people; a strategy that includes a statewide media campaign and a statewide network of local prevention programs.

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Affiliations:  1: Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies; 2: Virginia Polytechnic Instituteand State University Center for Information Technology Impacts on Children, Youth & Families.