Conscious Conversations: Understanding the Impact of Changing Local Policies on Evanston Youth, with Timothy A. Sanborn, MD.

Join us - Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 4:00PM at Evanston Township High School (The Terrace, 2nd Floor)

In light of a halt to the decade-long trend of dwindling youth tobacco use, the Coalition invites everyone to attend the next community meeting at Evanston Township High School (The Terrace, 2nd Floor) on July 16, 2014, 4:00-6:00PM. Guest speaker Dr. Sanborn will discuss the political and social factors that put teenagers at risk for lifelong nicotine addictions as well as the emerging Tobacco to 21 movement.

Dr. Sanborn is the Head of the Division of Cardiology at Northshore University HealthSystem and a member of the City of Evanston Health Department’s Evanston Health Advisory Committee. Dr. Sanborn remains the lead advocate for a new policy movement known as Tobacco to 21. Rising opposition to increasing taxes and the lack of funding for school programs has prompted interest in an alternative solution to the tobacco crisis:  increasing the legal purchasing age of tobacco to 21. According to the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation, “raising access to age 21 puts legal purchases outside the social circle of most high school students,” thereby decreasing overall youth tobacco use.

The mission of the Evanston Substance Abuse Prevention (ESAP) Coalition is to increase the health of Evanston youth by addressing and preventing the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs through community-level  strategies. The ESAP Coalition offers opportunities to collaborate, network, and discuss findings about substance abuse prevention and relevant policy concerns. ESPAC therefore encourages the Evanston community to join this talk to learn more about the tobacco crisis affecting our youth and to discuss modes of prevention rooted in policy change.