Tobacco Documents Online

H'I L L An m y KN pWLT'ONi, IN c, Torafidential for Members 6. Speakers included two national A.C'.S. officials, Clifton Pt. Read, vice president for public education and information, and Walter G. James, director of public education, the Reverend Roscoe C'. Johnson, pastor,, Willi'amsburg Methodist Church, amd Dr. Joseph W. Peabody, Jr., a Washington, D.C', chest surgeon, who said! "N~y' work would be reducediby 90 percent if nobody ever smoked." A kit of various anti-smoking materials was given to each delegate.. ~t J+f.v i].:Y~Ati.. . . - ... .. .~ ..... ........•._ t~ ACS Youth Conference on Cigarette Smoking at Williamsburg, Virginia ~,f -It has been learned' from various sources that American Cancer Society officials ~ bet ~0e3liev the first A.C.S. Youth Conference onCigarette Smoking was a success, bu " hY:\,Y:not without its disappoini,ments. ; A.C.S, is now planning similar statee and regional ~, . ;... ~~A~conferences in various parts of the countryduring the next year or two, and perhaps r " a national conference. ~The pilot conference itas held January' 12 and 13 in Williamsburg, Va.' ' It `ras :attended by 83 students from junior and'senior high schools in the Washington, :metropolitsn area, and 30 adu]1ts, including chaperones and A.C,S, officials., Purpose:-~,~' !=' of the conference was to enable A.C.S. to find out if they are making, progress in z"educat3ing"' teen-agers about smoking, and to get an appraisal of A.C.S. :progra,ms and .materials from the young people..`A major discussion theme was: "What activities might best discourage cigarette smoking by youth?" ..F:•\SS Although an official A,C'.S. news release was issuedi after the conference; it did not cover some of the folloWing points that observers thought were of interest, ~'';Vfjd A . A large number of students said they had never seen the A,C.S, materials on :'smoking end health, including the filmstrip. A.C.S'& officials plan a follow-up Washington area schools to find out why materials are not being used ~ The students criticized A.C.S. materials, saying they were aimed at adultsa rather than teen-agers. They urged more emphasis on the "more immediate effects. of'smoking, such as shortness of breath, the expense, the discomfort to others," as opposed to what might happen in later years. \. „ ~.. . . ,. . A number of students said that information "on both sides should be made available to themlin the schools. ,t M1 .. . _ . , ~ '. . . . r~ .. .. . . . ._ ~ : -~ ...... . . . . The consensus was that teen-agers prefer a discussionlof the "facts, opposed to almoralistic approach.., . , . ,... . . _ ,..,,.,, 5. The official A.C.S. news release snm¢ned up teen-age opinion at the conferencee this way: "As long as cigarette.smoking is a common and socially accepted'habit t is going to be difficult to keep teen-agers from starting to smoke at an early age...But, if young people have more opportunity to get and di•scuss the facts about •the harmful effects of smoking -- not only in relation to lung cancer but also to other health problems -- they might be influenced against taking up smoking,."' The news release was timed'for publication January 16, three days after the conference. -I:ittle press attention has been noted so far. However, the Washington Star plans .a report in its teen-age section Saturday, January 20. The meeting was not open to the press. . .,ry.:..

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