Jun 23, 2007 11:56 am US/Mountain
Anti-Tobacco Campaign Called Off In Greeley
Smokeless Tobacco Available For Free At Greeley Stampede Sponsor
by Mike Hooker
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) ―
Efforts by the Weld County Health Department to campaign against the use of chewing tobacco at the Greeley Stampede were snuffed out. Visitors to the annual summer event have been able to get free smokeless tobacco samples at the stampede for years.
Anyone over the age of 18 is able to get a free sample at a booth set up by the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. Marketers say they only give one sample to each person.
The group gets to set up at the stampede in exchange for providing an expensive video scoreboard for the event along with providing sponsorship.
"The value of it new is in excess of $500,000," said John Gates, the Greeley Stampede Chairman "It would cost us $60,000 to $70,000 a year to lease one if they're available."
Gates said his committee generally supports health campaigns about tobacco, but it also doesn't want to tell sponsors what to do with their booths.
"As long as they follow the law and don't do anything illegal, it's not really our place to regulate that and we have not made any attempt to stop that," Gates said.
The county health department planned several weekend events to teach young people, including teenagers, about the dangers of smokeless tobacco. They were canceled to avoid hurting the stampede.
"In light of that, we decided to re-evaluate some of our events in terms of the ways we educate the community about the effects of tobacco," said Joe Fleming, a Weld County Tobacco Educator.
Fleming would only repeat a written statement on camera for CBS4, declining to discuss the possible health dangers of tobacco for the report.
The chairman of the Weld County Commission told CBS4 by phone while on vacation that the issue is a "no brainer." He said there is a health danger with tobacco use. He added the commission decided it is not the government's role to organize an advocacy campaign that could have a negative impact on events like the Greeley Stampede.
The U.S. Smokeless Tobacco company didn't return calls Friday for comment on its booth at the stampede.
(© MMVII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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