e-NEWS
October 4, 2018

Mission:
To improve Kentucky's health by protecting Kentuckians from secondhand smoke and other tobacco emissions, and by reducing the high rate of smoking and tobacco use in the Commonwealth.

Steering Committee:
American Heart Association American Stroke Association

American Lung Association

Baptist Health

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky

Humana
Kentucky Cancer Foundation

Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Kentucky Council of Churches

Kentucky Equal Justice Center

Kentucky Health Collaborative

Kentucky Health Departments Association

Kentucky Hospital Association

Kentucky Medical Association

Kentucky Nurses Association

Kentucky School Boards Association
Kentucky Voices for Health

Kentucky Youth Advocates
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Did you know?

Youth E-Cigarette Use on the Rise:
 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced a crackdown on sales of e-cigarettes to youth. In its statement the FDA said:
 
- More than 2 million middle and high-schoolers used e-cigarettes in 2017.

- The developing adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable to nicotine addiction.

- Youth use of e-cigarettes is reaching epidemic proportions.

The FDA also told makers of JUUL, Vuse, MarkTen XL, blu e-cigs, and Logic e-cigarette brands to submit a plan within 60 days detailing how they will address the wide-spread youth access and use of their products, saying it may consider pulling some brands or flavored e-cig products off the market to reduce youth use.
 
See the FDA's announce-ment here, and please share this information with your networks.
What Can You Do?

Share this Info
Please post the information in this newsletter on social media using the hashtags
#smokefreeyouth and #smokefree4health.

For more social media post ideas, graphics and photos, visit our user-friendly  social media toolkit!

Join the Coalition
We're adding new partners and members regularly. Your organization can join here . There's no cost ... just a willingness to support the Coalition's mission and share what we're doing with your networks.

Contact Your Elected Officials
Our website has multiple resources you can use to learn more so you can  contact your elected officials in Frankfort or in your own hometown to tell them you support laws that reduce smoking rates in Kentucky.
Coalition News

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Tobacco-Free Schools Law a Coalition Priority for 2019

Concerned that historic declines in youth tobacco use will be undermined by the exploding popularity of Juul and other e-cigarettes, the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow said it will push for a state law making Kentucky school campuses 100 percent tobacco-free in the upcoming year. A statewide tobacco-free schools law would expand a powerful tool already used by 734 schools in the state to all Kentucky public schools, in order to reduce youth exposure and peer pressure to tobacco products and create an atmosphere where tobacco use is not the norm.

"We're suddenly seeing epidemic levels of kids vaping e-cigarettes, and we've got to get a handle on it before we totally reverse the gains we've made in the last couple of decades in reducing youth tobacco use," said Ben Chandler, Chair of the Coalition. 

The Coalition supports a comprehensive law that prohibits the use of all tobacco products - including e-cigarettes and vapor products - by staff, students and visitors at all times inside Board-owned buildings or vehicles, on school property, and during school-sponsored field trips, sports events and other activities.

The Coalition said the law should include anti-preemptive language so that local governments can enact stronger policies if they choose. The Coalition also urges that penalties for violations be appropriate so they do not prevent students from learning. And the law should include adequate state funding for signage and other tools to implement the policies in every pre-K through grade 12 public school.

Currently, federal law  prohibits smoking inside sc hoo ls that receive federal funding, but 72 Kentucky public school districts have gone further, adopting 100 percent tobacco-free campus policies. These policies currently protect 57 percent of Kentucky's public school students.

The chart below shows youth tobacco use rates in Kentucky compared to the United States through 2017. Keep in mind that the rates likely do not reflect the latest e-cigarette products, which the Food and Drug Administration says have helped swell youth e-cigarette use to epidemic levels. Thus, e-cigarette use is likely higher than shown below. And in any case, Kentucky youth tobacco use rates are higher, in some cases significantly, than national averages.
Federal Update
FDA Launches "Real Cost" Campaign Aimed at Preventing Youth E-Cigarette/Vapes Use

A majority of youth - 80 percent - don't see a great risk of harm from regular vaping or using e-cigarettes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in announcing an expansion of its award-winning "The Real Cost" campaign to educate nearly 10.7 million youth about the potential risks of using these new tobacco products. The campaign includes hard-hitting videos, posters and social media content urging teens to "know the real cost of vaping," with messaging designed to snap teens out of their "cost-free" mentality and help youth understand the potential risks of the products.  See the FDA's announcement  here .
Photo captured from one of the FDA's "The Real Cost" videos aimed at teens.
Partner and Member News

Coalition to Explore Latest in 
E-Cigarette Use & Safety Dec. 10 
The Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow will bring together experts from Kentucky and around the nation on Monday, Dec. 10, to share the latest developments in e-cigarette use, safety and regulation. Dr. Brian King of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will keynote the event with an overview of the federal position on e-cigarettes and the status of regulation. An expert panel will discuss such questions as:
  • Are e-cigarettes safe?
  • Are they effective smoking-cessation tools?
  • How are adolescents using e-cigarettes?
  • What has been the impact of Juul and other pod e-cigarette devices?
  • How do e-cigarettes affect health?
  • How do flavored e-cigarettes impact use?
Later in the morning, another panel will discuss the results of youth focus group discussions regarding their perceptions and use of e-cigarettes.

The conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky offices, 1640 Lyndon Farm Court, Suite 100, in Louisville; in addition, the conference will be streamed to satellite locations in Paducah and Hazard. Special thanks to our sponsor, KentuckyOne Health, for helping us make this event free to attendees. Registration information to follow soon!

2019 Tobacco Control Spring Conference is April 16-17
Mark yo ur  calendar for the spring conference highlighting th e  latest in tobacco control, scheduled for April 16-17, 2019 at the Embassy Suites in Lexington.  For the first time, the
Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy and the Kentucky Department for Public Health's Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program have partnered to host a joint, two-day conference.
Member/Partner News 



 
Want to join us?
Does your organization want to help make Kentucky healthier by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke? Click
here  to join our Coalition. Or email Alexa Kerley , [email protected]  . 
 

1640 Lyndon Farm Court, Suite 100 | Louisville, KY 40223 | 877-326-2583


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