Minnesota Rising 101

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

2009 Christine O. Gregoire Youth/Young Adult Award for Outstanding Use of Tobacco Industry Documents

This past week, I was fortunate enough to witness a good friend of mine, Nic Buron, be presented with the 2009 Christine O Gregoire Youth/Young Adult Award for Outstanding Use of Tobacco Industry Documents at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Phoenix, AZ.

Presented by the American Legacy Foundation, the Christine O. Gregoire Youth/Young Adult Award for Outstanding Use of Tobacco Industry Documents recognizes a person 24 years of age or younger who has made a contribution to the health of the public in the recent past through use of tobacco documents. The award honors innovation in the use and application of tobacco industry documents to improve the public's health and, where applicable, to further the goals of tobacco prevention and control in order to help build a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Those nominated should be individuals who have made a notable impact through innovative use of tobacco industry documents as applied to research, policy, or advocacy. Nic's career in tobacco control and prevention is noteworthy, including stints as a grant manager at the Minnesota Department of Health, working with the Metropolitan Federation of Alternative Schools on their youth tobacco prevention initiatives, and most recently, his leadership with Catalyst, a statewide network for youth advocates across Minnesota working to fight back against Big Tobacco and to promote healthy eating through creative youth activism. Nic worked with Catalyst youth leaders to dream up and execute the Killer Quotes Tour, which utilized tobacco company document quotes to expose industry marketing tactics directed at the underage segment. These are a few of the quotes used in the Killer Quotes Tour: "The base of our business is the high school student." -Lorillard Tobacco, 1978 "We really need something for people to die of." British American Tobacco, 1987 "Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I'm saying." - U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, 1994 Congratulations to Nic!

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