The Gallatin County Tobacco Use Prevention Program is funded under a contract between the Montana Department of Health & Human Services/Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program (MTUPP) and Bozeman Publlic Schools.

Funding for tobacco use prevention comes from Montana's share of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement--the money tobacco companies pay to states each year as a result of the law suit against them that was settled in 1998.

In 2002, Montanans voted to allocate 32% of the state's Master Settlement Agreement income for only tobacco diease prevention.  The Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services will continue to receive payments from the tobacco industry on that settlement through 2025.

MTUPP's overall budget is NOT funded by tobacco taxes.

Key messages that MTUPP endorses for tobacco prevention:

• Tobacco companies target youth as replacement tobacco users.
• Smokeless tobacco and non-FDA approved nicotine innovations are not a safe alternative to smoking.
• The Montana Tobacco Quit Line is free to all Montanans regardless of income or insurance status.
• There is no safe exposure level of secondhand smoke.
• Tobacco companies spend millions of dollars in Montana each year on advertising and targeting teens.
• There is no safe level of commercial tobacco use.