Other LanguagesOLYMPIA, Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 — State officials are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the landmark settlement with the nation’s tobacco companies. Gov. Chris Gregoire, Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky and Attorney General Rob McKenna will visit Tumwater’s George Washington Bush Middle School on Monday to remind kids about the health risks of tobacco.
The Nov. 23, 1998, agreement between tobacco companies and 46 states was the largest civil litigation settlement in U.S. history. Its central purpose was to reduce smoking, particularly among U.S. youth. Washington state committed a large part of the settlement to improving health and fighting tobacco use.
Since 2000, the number of young people in our state who smoke has dropped by about half and adult rates have dropped by about 25 percent.
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Who:
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Governor Chris Gregoire Attorney General Rob McKenna Washington State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky |
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| When: | 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, 2008 | |
| Where:
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George Washington Bush Middle School 2120 83rd Avenue Southwest Tumwater, Washington 98512 (360) 709-7400 |
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Contacts:
Janelle Guthrie, Director of Communications, (360) 586-0725
Laura Lockard, Governor Chris Gregoire’s Communications Office, (360) 902-4136
Tim Church, Communications Director, Washington State Department of Health, (360) 236-4077