Tobacco / Vaping

Extinguishing the Tobacco Epidemic in Wyoming

According to the Wyoming Department of Health, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. In Wyoming alone, it claims approximately 800 lives each year.

Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body. (cdc.gov)

• More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking.
• For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.
• Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.
• Smoking is a known cause of erectile dysfunction in males.

Nearly 70% of adults who smoke say they want to quit.
Smoking cessation improves health, saves lives, and reduces financial burden.

Quitting smoking:

• Reduces risk of premature death and can add as much as a decade to life expectancy
• Reduces risk for many adverse health effects, including reproductive health outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 12 types of cancer
• Benefits people who have already been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or COPD
• Has benefits at any age, with greater benefits for those who quit earlier in life
• Reduces the financial burden that smoking places on people who smoke, healthcare systems, and society
• (HHS.gov)

Community Prevention Strategies and Resources

Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program

Wyoming’s Quit Tobacco Program offers Wyoming residents free access to online quit tools, support from other tobacco users who are trying to quit, and other information to make a quit attempt easier. Individuals who use the quitline also have access to free cessation medication, as well as free counseling with live quit coaches. The likelihood of quitting is even higher when cessation medication is combined with quitline counseling. Quitting isn’t just about will power, it’s about breaking addiction. Make this quit count! Call 1-800-QUIT.NOW or visit www.quitwyo.org.

Quit Kits

Our Prevention Coalition has Quit Kits available for free from the Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program. The kit includes a pamphlet about the program, a Quit Date Magnet, a sucker and toothpicks (some find that keeping something in their mouth can help while they’re trying to quit), and a little notebook with daily words of encouragement.  

We also have posters and brochures (one for the general population, one for pregnant women, and one for the American Indian population). If you are a business/agency in town and you would like to promote the Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program with Quit Kits, Posters, and/or Brochures, please reach out to the Prevention Program. If you are a community member and would like these resources to help you or a family member or friend quit tobacco, please reach out!

My Life My Quit – Support for Teens

The My Life, My Quit program is a free and confidential service for teens who want help quitting all forms of tobacco including vaping. Teens who participate will receive one-on-one coaching sessions, self-help and educational materials, and additional support by phone, text or online chat. Coaching helps teens develop a quit plan, identify triggers, practice refusal skills and receive ongoing support for changing behaviors. Text “Start My Quit” to 855.891.9989 or call to talk with a coach who is ready to listen and cheer you on. It’s YOUR LIFE and we’re here to help you live it YOUR WAY. My Life, My Quit is always free and confidential. 

Community Education & Awareness

Preventing tobacco use among youth is critical to ending the tobacco epidemic in the United States. 62% of high school seniors in Hot Springs County reported that they have juuled, vaped, or used an electronic vapor product at least once in their lifetime, while 30% reported that they had vaped at least once in the last 30 days (PNA, 2020).

The use of any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe for young people. Did you know that all JUUL e-cigarettes have a high level of nicotine? According to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.

What are the risks for youth?
Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can:
» Harm brain development, which continues until about age 25.
» Impact learning, memory, and attention.
» Increase risk for future addiction to other drugs.
» Young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to go on to use regular cigarettes.
» Many e-cigarettes come in kid-friendly flavors – including mango, fruit, and crème – which make e-cigarettes more appealing to young people.
» E-cigarette aerosol is harmful. It can contain harmful substances, including:• Nicotine • Cancer-causing chemicals • Volatile organic compounds • Ultrafine particles • Flavorings that have been linked to lung disease • Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead.

PARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CAN HELP PREVENT AND
REDUCE THE USE OF E-CIGARETTES BY YOUNG PEOPLE.

PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CAN:

• Ask about e-cigarettes, including devices shaped like USB flash drives, when screening patients for the use of any tobacco products.
  
• Warn patients about the risks of all forms of tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, for young people.

You have the power to start the conversation.
Whether you are a parent, teacher, coach, or health care professional, you have an important part to play when it comes to talking to kids about the harms of e-cigarettes. Click on the links below for helpful information to teen e-cigarette use.
Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults
Talk With Your Teens About E-Cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents
E-Cigarettes and Youth: What Educators and Coaches Need to Know
E-Cigarettes and Youth: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know
E-cigarettes Shaped Like USB Flash Drives: Information for Parents, Educators and Health Care Providers

Secondhand Smoke Education & Awareness

Exposure to secondhand smoke, even for a short time, can be harmful to both children and adults. 

How Secondhand Smoke Harms Adults (cdc.gov)

• Even if you have never smoked, secondhand smoke can still cause:
  • Lung cancer
  • Stroke
  • Heart disease
• Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can be harmful to your heart and blood vessels.

How Secondhand Smoke Harms Children (cdc.gov)

• Because their bodies are still growing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to health risks from secondhand smoke.
• Babies who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to die unexpectedly from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also called crib death, than babies who are not exposed to smoke from burning tobacco products.
• Babies exposed to secondhand smoke in the womb or after birth are born and grow up with weaker lungs than babies that are not exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Babies and children who breathe secondhand smoke are sick more often with bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections than those that are not exposed to secondhand smoke.
• For children with asthma, breathing secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack.

Tobacco 21

On December 20, 2019, the President signed legislation amending the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and raising the federal minimum age for sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. This legislation (known as “Tobacco 21” or “T21”) is effective immediately, and it is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product—including cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes—to anyone under 21. The new federal minimum age of sale applies to all retail establishments and persons with no exceptions.

…