Alfred Moses has never smoked in his life.

But that didnSA国际影视传媒檛 stop him from approaching a circle of smokers and asking if they could spare a cigarette.

SA国际影视传媒淧eople would be like SA国际影视传媒楧onSA国际影视传媒檛 give him one, heSA国际影视传媒檚 just going to break it,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淵ou give me a smoke, I would break it and throw it in the garbage.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 what really got me on the map SA国际影视传媒� smoking cessation prevention and promotion.SA国际影视传媒�

While helping him make enemies, as it turns out standing up to the tobacco industry helped lay the foundation for the former cabinet ministerSA国际影视传媒檚 political career, which has now seen two stints as an Inuvik town councillor and a four-year run as the MLA for Inuvik-Boot Lake and as a cabinet minister under Bob McLeod. But it all started with a desire to help others butt out.

His penchant for not-smoking has paid off. Inuvik became the first municipality in the Northwest Territories to pass a smoking bylaw while Moses was serving his first stint as a councillor at age 24. Under the bylaw, the areas where smoking was permitted were greatly reduced.

SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of the restaurants didnSA国际影视传媒檛 like it,SA国际影视传媒� he said with a laugh. SA国际影视传媒淏ut it was to protect the children. Following suit, the Northwest Territories passed legislation.

SA国际影视传媒淲e did a lot of things here. We held a conference for the region, we had a youth group that did presentations in the schools.SA国际影视传媒�

From there, encouraging others to quit continued to open doors for Moses. He noted he was basically asked by the GNWT to work for them.

Moses said he was told there was federal funding available for a First Nations and Inuit Health Tobacco coordinator, promoting non-smoking in remote and Indigenous communities throughout the North.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey made me do a presentation,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淥ff the cuff.SA国际影视传媒�

MosesSA国际影视传媒� passion was first sparked when he attended a tobacco conference in Yellowknife while still working in community health in his early 20s. Noting he didnSA国际影视传媒檛 know anything about tobacco until that point, Moses said what he learned there really opened his eyes, prompting him to try and stop anyone he met from smoking.

He started his campaign off easy SA国际影视传媒� first convincing his mother to drop the habit, then worked his way out from there.

SA国际影视传媒淪he was at a pack-and-a-half a day,SA国际影视传媒� said Moses. SA国际影视传媒淪o I got her to quit. Then I just slowly worked on people.SA国际影视传媒�

While there are many reasons to avoid smoking, Moses said the one he found hit closest to home was how it can derail an athleteSA国际影视传媒檚 career.

During his time as a community health professional, Moses toured the Beaufort Delta and showed children the difference between a smokerSA国际影视传媒檚 lung and a non-smokerSA国际影视传媒檚 lung. The difference in the amount of air each could take in was breathtaking.

SA国际影视传媒淚 thought, SA国际影视传媒業f I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 know about this, how many others donSA国际影视传媒檛?SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� said Moses. SA国际影视传媒淪o I went out and started talking to kids at school, which is what got me started in public speaking.

SA国际影视传媒淚 used to carry lungs SA国际影视传媒� healthy lungs and smokerSA国际影视传媒檚 lungs. I would pump up the healthy lungs and show them expanding very easily, then I would put the smokerSA国际影视传媒檚 lungs on the apparatus and try to pump that up, and it wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 even pump halfway through. Then I would explain whatSA国际影视传媒檚 happening is the chemicals in the smoke was burning the alveolar sac, which puts the oxygen in the lungs. So when you have less alveolar sac, you have less oxygen.SA国际影视传媒�

With a second stint as Inuvik town councillor and other community projects on the go, Moses said he hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 had as much time to campaign against smoking as he used to.

But if you see him coming to your smoking circle, you can save him some time by breaking your own cigarettes.

SA国际影视传媒淚 donSA国际影视传媒檛 have anything happening right now,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淏ut I should.SA国际影视传媒�