Tobacco Control and Prevention

As the new school year begins, it’s crucial to address the growing concern of youth vaping. In a recent article from the CDC, Helpful Tips for Protecting Youth from the Harms of Vaping, the CDC provides information on the harms of e-cigarettes and nicotine, shows the role parents, educators and healthcare providers can play help youth reject or quit commercial tobacco use and provides resources help youth reject or quit commercial tobacco use.

The GHEA team had the pleasure of training at Casey County Coalition’s Kentucky Youth Summit in August. This training aimed to educate youth on the importance of comprehensive, holistic k-12 commercial tobacco-free school policies and empower youth to advocate for healthier school environments.

CADCA’s Geographic Health Equity Alliance (GHEA) partnered with American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation to host “Clearing the Air: Science of Secondhand Smoke”. In the webinar, Traci Kennedy showed the progress that we as a nation have made in passing local and state comprehensive smokefree policies, and where we still have gaps today. The webinar recording and slides are now available.

The Frameworks Institute, in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Institutes, has recently introduced two new communication resources: “Talking about Health Equity in Rural Contexts” and the “Reframing Health Disparities Toolkit.” These resources present an evidence-based reframing strategy that emphasizes the value of dignity, aiming to enhance understanding of health equity and strengthen support for equitable policies and programs, especially in rural areas.

CADCA’s Geographic Health Equity Alliance (GHEA) is partnering with American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation to host a 2-part webinar series focused on helping communities prevent and reduce commercial tobacco use.

The Geographic Health Equity Alliance (GHEA) partnered with the National Coalition Institute and Counter Tools to host a webinar titled “E-Cigarettes and Point-of-Sale Policies”. In this webinar, Jacob Delbridge showed how the retail environment impacts nicotine use and dependence among youth and young adults. Jacob also provided evidence of how a local tobacco retail license with point-of-sale policies can prevent youth access and use.

The Public Health Law Center recently released a fact sheet that explores the harms of Purchase, Use, and Possession (PUP) laws and shares valuable solutions for policymakers and public health advocates seeking to repeal them in their state.

June 2024, ChangeLab Solutions and the Geographic Health Equity Alliance facilitated a two-part webinar series, Policy Tools for Rural Equity & Prosperity, to explore rural policy solutions — and the policy process itself — as tools for addressing systemic barriers to health and prosperity. The recordings are now available.

On April 26, despite bi-partisan support and recommendations from public health partners, federal action to remove mentholated commercial tobacco products from the market was postponed. This setback is a reminder of the critical importance of local and state action in creating safe and healthy communities. GHEA would like to highlight a position statement by one of our partners, The Center for Black Health and Equity, on the important of this issue to African American communities, and a call to action for coalitions across the US.

A growing number of states are considering or have passed e-cigarette registry bills, also known as “e-registry”, that have been predominantly supported by the commercial tobacco industry. In a recent webinar, the Public Health Law Center went over what the typical “e-registry” bill contains and convened a panel of public health experts to discuss whether and to what extent these laws advance public health goals or if they help consolidate the market for big tobacco companies while diverting attention from proven public-health strategies. The webinar recording and slides are now available.

A growing number of states are considering or have passed e-cigarette registry bills, also known as “e-registry”, that have been predominantly supported by the commercial tobacco industry. In a recent webinar, the Public Health Law Center went over what the typical “e-registry” bill contains and convened a panel of public health experts to discuss whether and to what extent these laws advance public health goals or if they help consolidate the market for big tobacco companies while diverting attention from proven public-health strategies. The webinar recording and slides are now available.

A growing number of states are considering or have passed e-cigarette registry bills, also known as “e-registry”, that have been predominantly supported by the commercial tobacco industry. In a recent webinar, the Public Health Law Center went over what the typical “e-registry” bill contains and convened a panel of public health experts to discuss whether and to what extent these laws advance public health goals or if they help consolidate the market for big tobacco companies while diverting attention from proven public-health strategies. The webinar recording and slides are now available.