Just Launched! TobaccoFreeCO.org

Coloradans have a new place to find facts and resources aimed at creating tobacco-free communities. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment launched www.TobaccoFreeCO.org in August 2013. The online web hub connects visitors to a variety of resources and topics including cessation services, information on preventing secondhand smoke exposure and youth smoking prevention.

You may also notice new ads popping up around the state. The “I Am Tobacco” ad campaign will promote the new web hub by depicting the some of the harmful effects associated with tobacco use. Gas stations, restaurants, liquor stores and bus shelters will feature ads with radio spots and internet ads appearing as well.

New Study Confirms Impact of CO Smoke-Free Laws

The evidence supporting smoke-free policies is overwhelming and continues to grow. A first-of-its-kind health study has demonstrated again that the health benefits of smoke-free laws are significant and immediate. In the latest edition of the American Heart Association scientific journal Circulation, a new study found ambulance calls to Gilpin County casinos (Black Hawk and Central City) decreased by about 20 percent in the year following the implementation of the state smoke-free casino law in 2008. This was the first study to look at ambulance calls before and after a smoke-free law. The ambulance study, conducted by Stanton Glantz, Ph.D., of the University of California of San Francisco, analyzed the number of ambulance calls over 12 years in Gilpin County. Glantz is one the nation’s leading experts on tobacco use, secondhand smoke and its impact on heart disease.

This news follows two other Colorado studies that showed the dramatic impact smoke-free laws have on heart disease. A landmark 2005 study demonstrated that in the 18 months following the adoption of a local smoke-free law in Pueblo Colorado, hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 27 percent. At that time, the Pueblo Heart Study was just the second in the world to demonstrate a reduction in hospital heart attack admissions following the implementation of a smoke-free law. Since then, more than 40 such studies have been conducted worldwide with similar results, including two more in Colorado. An additional Pueblo study showed a 41 percent reduction in heart attack admissions three years following the implementation of Pueblo’s law. A Greeley, Colorado study following the implementation of a smoke-free law there showed a 27 percent reduction in heart attack admissions in the next year, with the greatest reduction in heart attack admissions of 56% for people who smoke.

Coalitions Creating Movement Through Dialogue

Beginning in the 1960s, after the release of the first Surgeon General Report, Smoking and Health, people concerned about the dangers of tobacco, secondhand smoke and the tobacco industry’s tactics to promote tobacco use formed coalitions and other advocacy groups across the United States. Over the years, these groups have developed into what many of us know to be the most important force for change in tobacco prevention and control. Working at the grassroots, coalitions are accountable for changing policies which help prevent tobacco-related disease and premature death.

In 2004, one of the first local tobacco prevention coalitions in Jefferson County, Citizens Against Unhealthy, Smoke-filled Environments (CAUSE), successfully advocated for the passage of Arvada’s smoke-free public places law. Since then, more than six adult community coalitions and three youth coalitions have taken up the charge to reduce tobacco’s toll through policy change in Jefferson County. This past year has been no exception. Thanks to the work of the Breathe Easy Wheat Ridge Coalition and the 2013 Smoke-Free Parks Rule, youth, adults, residents and visitors will be able to enjoy smoke-free parks, playgrounds and open spaces in Wheat Ridge. The Breathe Easy Wheat Ridge Coalition worked with both the council and commission while educating the public about the benefit of smoke-free protections. The coalition reported that more people would visit Wheat Ridge parks, bars and restaurants if outdoor areas were smoke-free. Additionally, a group of youth in Wheat Ridge organized a cigarette butt pick-up in Wheat Ridge area parks to raise awareness about the problem of tobacco-related litter. To find out more about the coalition and to get involved, please email breatheasywheatridge@gmail.com.

The Healthy Unincorporated Jefferson County Coalition (Healthy UJC) has been working for more than two years to see a stronger smoke-free public places law in the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County. In the spring of 2013, Snip Young, Chair of Tobacco-Free Jeffco and member of the Healthy UJC Coalition joined Dr. Mark Johnson to present the case for a strong, local smoke-free policy to the Jefferson County Commissioners. To find out more about this coalition and to get involved, email healthyunincorpjc@gmail.com.

Thanks to the advocacy work of the Lakewood Coalition, light rail riders who take the new RTD rail line that goes west of Denver will enjoy a smoke-free stop in Lakewood. Last year, following a comprehensive education campaign by the Lakewood Coalition, the city council adopted a local ordinance to make outdoor transit waiting areas smoke-free. This includes light rail and bus waiting areas, stops and platforms. Finally, one more smoke-free celebration for a Jefferson County neighbor, Gilpin County. This past January, Colorado celebrated the five year anniversary of its smoke-free casino law, which made all of Gilpin County’s gaming establishments smoke-free in 2008.

New Text Messaging Program for Young Adult Cessation

Many young adults who smoke have the desire to quit, but do not always have the right information or resources. The CO Quit Mobile system is an innovative and free text message based cessation program designed for an 18-24 year-old population.

CO Quit Mobile sends messages that are specific to the user and their smoking habits in order to provide the best coaching available. The user is then able to prepare, make a plan and start the quitting process with support. Those with smartphones can take advantage of a companion app that provides additional tools for help. The system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it provides up to 30 days of counseling.

Great American Spit-Out 2013

BE Team representatives spoke with students about the harms of tobacco at the Great American Spit Out.
This year’s Great American Spit Out (GASpO) was on February 21, 2013. The GASpO is a one-day challenge that encourages smokeless tobacco users to skip the dip and go just one day without tobacco. Inspiring students to quit is made a little easier when facts about spit tobacco use are shared. A 2008 study from the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that smokeless tobacco users have an 80 percent higher risk of developing oral cancer and a 60 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic and esophageal cancer. Another fact, included in The S.T.O.P. Guide (The Smokeless Tobacco Outreach and Prevention Guide) states that “Leukoplakia, which can lead to oral cancer, occurs in more than half of all users in the first three years of use, with more than 60 percent of spit tobacco users experiencing these oral lesions.” Click here for the National Cancer Institute's fact sheet on smokeless tobacco and the cancer risks associated with spit tobacco usage.

The Lakewood High School’s Breathe Easy (BE) Team – a group of students working to reduce tobacco's toll through education, outreach and advocacy – helped organize a quit challenge for the GASpO. Twelve students signed up for the quit challenge and received a quit kit and support throughout the day. Many of the students had a hard time, but stuck with it. One student told Nicole Swaggerty, Youth Engagement Specialist for the Tobacco Prevention Initiative at Jefferson County Public Health, he was offered dip five times by his peers during the day, but he declined their offers. Another student who pledged to quit for the day said it was hard but the sunflower seeds, toothpicks, text messages and web-based cessation resources such as MyLastDip and ChewFree encouraged him to stay tobacco-free. Throughout the day, students came by the GASpO table and received education about the dangers of smokeless tobacco. For more information about youth tobacco prevention in Jefferson County contact Nicole Swaggerty at 303-239-7007 or nswagger@jeffco.us

BE Team Health Champions

As one of the main targets of the tobacco industry's marketing tactics, the youth population plays a significant role in the battle against tobacco. Despite the tobacco industry’s efforts to counter life-saving tobacco prevention policies, young people continue to demonstrate the power behind their voices. One way young people in Jefferson County are becoming engaged in tobacco prevention efforts is by joining local Breathe Easy (BE) teams. BE teams have made significant gains in shaping tobacco-free norms and decreasing youth access to tobacco products in Jefferson County communities.

Three particularly engaged young people were recognized as Public Health Champions this year at a luncheon held by the Jefferson County Public Health Department. Hannah Fritz and Beau Hogan, of the Golden High School BE Team and Carissa Leeper of the Lakewood High School BE Team, joined several community coalition chairs as Public Health Champions, a testament to their dedication and the powerful impact they make through their work.

Right: Golden BE team member Hannah Fritz smiles with fellow Public Health Champions, Breathe Easy Wheat Ridge and Healthy Unincorporated Jeffco coalition chairs Lynnette Namba and John Coles.
Golden's BE team, represented by recent graduates Fritz and Hogan, successfully advocated for an ordinance reducing youth access to tobacco. The Golden ordinance requires licensing of tobacco retailers and proof of identification for all tobacco purchases, regardless of customer age, for non-cigarette tobacco. The ordinance also requires that clerks selling non-cigarette tobacco be at least 18 years of age.

Lakewood's BE Team, represented by senior Carissa Leeper, successfully advocated for a stronger smoke-free ordinance in the Lakewood community. The Lakewood ordinance extends smoke-free entranceways to 25 feet and requires that all outdoor transit waiting areas, playgrounds, athletic fields and gathering places in parks and city events be smoke-free.

These three tobacco prevention youth Public Health Champions have helped to reduce the toll of tobacco on our communities and helped shape tobacco-free norms, making tobacco not only less desirable and less acceptable, but also less accessible. An enormous congratulations to Hannah, Beau and Carissa, for their meaningful contributions to the movement for healthier communities. The honor is well-deserved! To learn more about opportunities to get involved, please contact Nicole at nswagger@jeffco.us or 303-239-7007.

Lakewood High School Students Use Art to Kick Butts

This year’s Kick Butts Day was the biggest in history with over 1,300 events across the country. In Jefferson County, one of those events took place at Lakewood High School (LHS). Hannah Bendiksen, a National Art Honor Society student at LHS, created a powerful art piece to display at the school for Kick Butts Day. Students that visited the booth where Hannah’s art was displayed learned about Kick Butts Day – a day when youth are encouraged and empowered to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco.

Left: Hannah Bendiksen stands next to her artwork for Kick Butts Day. Hannah’s message is that when one smokes, they hold more in their hands than a cigarette. She hopes that her art causes pause and sparks an understanding, if not a full desire for change. Right: Students prepare their statements for a speak-out against Big Tobacco.
The students who viewed Hannah’s art also learned about how the tobacco industry focuses on youth and young adult populations with their deceptive marketing tactics and how youth are three times more sensitive to tobacco marketing than adults. The students were then able to make a statement to speak out against big tobacco. One student wrote, “Get a life and stop stealing ours!” Another student pronounced “We should stop production altogether. Smoking kills and it puts an emotional burden not only on the one who smokes, but the ones who are exposed to it every day.”

A recent report of the Surgeon General states that nearly all tobacco use begins in youth and young adulthood and that young adults are a prime target for tobacco advertising and marketing activities. It is clear that young people have something to say about being the prime targets for tobacco advertising and want to take a stand. There is an urgent need to continue engaging youth and young adults in standing up and speaking out against tobacco companies. Tobacco companies know who composes the next generation of smokers. Youth in Jefferson County are saying no. Click here to read more in an article from the Lakewood Sentinel.