Smokeless Tobacco Industry Tempts Students into Smoking

In California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo the smokeless tobacco industry tries to attract smokers into smoking. That’s why San Luis Obispo doctors are against Cal Poly for allowing students to accept scholarships from the smokeless tobacco industry as prize awards in university rodeo events.

University authorities said that Cal Poly has no basis to refuse students scholarship funds from a legal source, and university officials note that no tobacco-related advertising is allowed at school events under a campus policy. Five years ago, Cal Poly officials supported creating a fund that could be an alternative to tobacco-industry scholarships, but that idea was refused by tobacco antagonists.

Stephen L. Hansen, a physician and representative of the county Tobacco Control Coalition, said he worry that the chewing tobacco industry lures students to a cancer-causing product through scholarships, that’s why he wants to convince the university officials for to prohibit it. Mr. Hansen was a leader of a group of tobacco-industry opponents five years ago that attempted to stop the university from allowing students to take U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. scholarships. He became to action against smoking company after seeing the effects of cancer in his patients and was justified by his belief that collective profits often drive companies to promote harmful habits. Hansen said: "Tobacco has no place on college campuses. Tobacco money pollutes the message of good health wherever it’s present.""The university’s position is that there is no legal or ethical basis for Cal Poly to bar adult students from receiving scholarship funding awarded to them from a legal funding source," said Dan Howard-Greene, Cal Poly President Warren Baker’s chief of staff.

U.S. Smokeless Tobacco had been contributing $200,000 per year to the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association until the business was bought by the tobacco corporation Altria last year. Altria owns brand names such as Marlboro, Copenhagen and Skoal. Sarah Neely, NIRA spokeswoman said that the scholarships provide a positive role in helping students with their education prices.
For example Cal Poly rodeo participants typically receive about $4,000 to $8,000 total each year in smokeless tobacco scholarship awards from events, university officials said.