By funding these programs, the tobacco industry can appear concerned about preventing youth smoking without spending a lot of money, or disabling their effective marketing tactics. While the tobacco industry can use these programs to deflect charges that it encourages youth smoking, the industry is also sending a message to legislators that tobacco control is already being done. Consider the example of West Virginia. Again, this is not nearly enough money for an effective tobacco control program. State legislatures across the country may be easily distracted from distributing the necessary amount of money for truly effective programs if State Departments of Education and community organizations implement tobacco industry-funded programs.
Tobacco companies can control the program's agenda by threatening to take funding away.
For example, Philip Morris wants to conduct its own evaluation of their sponsored programs, which will allow tobacco companies direct access to the behavior patterns of thousands of American children and will undoubtedly cloud the legitimate research done on these programs. There are alternative sources of funding for states or organizations that want youth smoking prevention programs, such as federal and state governments and foundation grants. Skills Training is a three-year intervention program designed to prevent or reduce gateway drug use, and is primarily implemented in school classrooms by teachers. The developer of the program is Dr. Gilbert Botvin, who is known internationally as a leading expert on drug abuse prevention for children and young adults. The program is geared for students beginning in sixth or seventh grade.