Tobacco Free Florida in Gadsden County is urging the local school board to review its tobacco policy to ensure all students, faculty, staff and visitors are protected from exposure to tobacco, including new and emerging products. The program hopes to raise awareness of free and effective tobacco cessation and prevention resources available to schools. With the introduction and widespread popularity among youth of new nicotine delivery products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), these policies must be kept up to date to protect the health and wellness of the area’s children and teens frequent.
According to the annual Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, the increase in youth e-cigarette use has slowed, however 12.5% of high schoolers are still using e-cigarettes.
The United States Surgeon General and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both been vocal in expressing concern about youth e-cigarette use, declaring it a national epidemic.
Despite legislative changes and FDA actions, popular brands of new disposable e-cigarettes such as Puff Bar an HQD (Cuvie) continue to entice children with flavors like “Blue Razz” and bubblegum.
“This problem is growing progressively worse and working collaboratively to address the problem will serve to improve the community at large. I am confident that together we can continue to take action to keep our schools as healthy and tobacco free as possible,” said Gary Russ-Sills Family And Community Engagement (F.A.C.E.) Coordinator Local organizations, including Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) and other community-based groups are available in every county to help school districts review tobacco free school policies to ensure alignment with current best practices and support implementation efforts for maximum effectiveness. These include working to prioritize protecting people from secondhand smoke/vapor exposure, counteracting influence from the industry, increasing access to cessation resources, and allowing for a supportive, cessation-focused approach to discipline. Tobacco Free Florida is dedicated to keeping these standards for comprehensive tobacco free school policies up to date, helping address threats to today’s school-aged children.
Across the state, Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida provides free tools and services for Floridians 18 years of age or older who are considering quitting. The Quit Your Way program offers Phone Quit and Web Quit options. Group Quit classes are also available for every county in Florida in-person or virtually and all tools and services provide free nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gum and lozenges where medically appropriate.
Services can also be accessed by calling the toll-free number 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669) at any time.
For more information on how you can help prevent youth from using tobacco and e-cigarettes in your schools, contact your local tobacco prevention program at TobaccoFreeFlorida.com/get-involved.
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