STAT (Stop Teenage Addiction to Tobacco) was founded by Joe Tye in 1985. STAT sought to partner with youth, giving them complete information about tobacco marketing activities, health information, and a forum for participating in the fight against smoking. STAT disseminated newsletters and factsheets, and organized conferences with other anti-smoking activist goups. They eschewed federal funding because they wanted the freedom to criticize federal and state government shortcomings in regulating tobacco.

Ultimately, STAT dissolved because "they're successes helped create the underlying factors that led to the organization's demise". As noted by former board member Bill Godshall, other campaigns took up STAT's message of eliminating marketing to children, rendering STAT "less unique" and much more difficult to fund. STAT's last executive director Judy Sopenski resigned in 2000.