This is the time for Cessation!
Indiana teens are more likely to use vaping devices than cigarettes. The increase in vaping among youth is rising at such an alarming rate that the U.S. Surgeon General is calling it an epidemic that “demands action to protect the lives of young people.” Know the risks. Visit:
Indiana State Department of Health: https://www.in.gov/isdh/tpc/2764.htm
Surgeon General: https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/
If you or someone you know is ready to free themselves from tobacco, free resources for quitting are available:
1.800.Quit.Now (1-800-784-8669) or (1-855-335-3569) (for Spanish speakers) or visit
https://www.quitnowindiana.com/ -This free service offers many resources, including coaching, help with making a quit plan, educational materials, referrals to other resources where you live, information on FDA-approved cessation medications, and, in some cases, free or discounted cessation medications.
If you vape, you’re 4x more likely to smoke. Safer ≠ safe.
It's Back to School Time.... Parents do you know what is in your child's pack back?
Parents you are never too late to be educated! Below are new public concerns about tobacco product IQOS:
Heated tobacco products may appeal to youth: Heated tobacco products are sleek, hightech devices that are being designed and marketed in ways that are known to effectively target youth youth. Strict FDA regulations are needed to prevent IQOS from being marketed or sold to youth
Heated tobacco products are available in menthol flavor: For decades, the tobacco industry has used menthol and other flavors to attract youth. Menthol masks the harshness associated with cigarette smoke, making cigarettes easier to smoke and harder to quit. Menthol cigarette use is disproportionately common among young smokers.
Heated tobacco products are highly addictive: IQOS and other heated tobacco products contain nicotine. Youth are uniquely susceptible to nicotine addiction. The US Surgeon General has declared that youth use of nicotine in any form is unsafe.
Please see the display case at the YMCA membership desk for more information
Mission
Tobacco Free Howard County is a coalition including local partners, nonprofit, health ,faith and community organizations committed to educating the public on the deadly hazards of tobacco use. We are committed to decreasing secondhand exposure, encouraging smoking cessation (1.800.Quit.Now) and youth advocacy to improve a healthier smoke free community.
Services
COMBAT TOBACCO USE
Protect and maintain a tobacco control alliance infrastructure needed to combat tobacco use, as well as work locally to reduce tobacco use.
PROTECT HOOSIERS
Work to protect Hoosiers from exposure to secondhand smoke, supporting local and/or statewide smoke-free air ordinances.
DECREASE ADULT SMOKING
Promote the Indiana Quitline (1-800-QUIT NOW) and support employers by providing tobacco treatment resources at their workplace.
PREVENT YOUTH SMOKING
Promote and educate the community about tobacco point-of-sale strategies implemented at the local level to entice youth to smoke.
Contact
For more information, contact Shirley Dubois, Tobacco Free Coordinator, at: 765.513.8514 or shirley.dubois@kokomoymca.orgFor more information on cessation, visit:
https://www.quitnowindiana.com/
For more information about the smoke free ordinance, visit:
http://www.howardcountyin.gov/community/smoke-free
Community Support
After decades of progress lowering smoking rates, we know what works to protect youth from tobacco products. We need state lawmakers to act this year to make sure communities have the resources they need to do this work. Raising the cigarette tax by $2 will generate resources to take on this epidemic.
#RaiseItForHealth
