Kids in Nebraska can play their way into learning about the dangers of smoking and tobacco use, and reasons to remain tobacco free, thanks to a new booklet: the Tobacco Free Times.

Tobacco Free Nebraska has created the Tobacco Free Times, a booklet that includes a wordsearch, a codebreaker, a maze and other activities for kids to solve while they're learning about why to remain tobacco free.

Kids will learn about flavored tobacco products, what they can do instead of trying flavored tobacco and smokeless tobacco. They'll learn about smoking's effects on how we look and smell. And they'll learn about myths and the truth. Here's an excerpt from the booklet:


Myth: Chewing tobacco is a harmless alternative to smoking.
Truth: Chewing tobacco is still tobacco. It contains nitrosamines, cancer-causing chemicals from the curing process.
Myth: Dip or chew improves my athletic performance.
Truth: A study of professional baseball players found no connection between chewing tobacco and player performance. Using smokeless tobacco increases your heart rate and blood pressure within a few minutes, which places extra stress on your heart. This may actually reduce your overall performance.
Myth: Taking care of my gums can offset the harmful effects of using dip or chew.
Truth: There’s no proof that brushing and flossing will undo the harm that smokeless tobacco does to your teeth and gums.
Myth: It’s easy to quit using smokeless tobacco when I want to.
Truth: Nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco, is also found in chew. Nicotine addiction makes quitting difficult.

The booklet is available for download as a pdf, thanks to Tobacco Free Nebraska.