Tobacco and Secondhand Smoke
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. Tobacco use among youth is of particular concern, as 90% of current adult smokers started smoking regularly at age 18 or younger.
Nicotine, in the form of cigarettes, chew, cigars, and e-cigarettes/vapes, is one of the most used addictive drugs in the United States. Tobacco use (either by smoking or chewing) increases your risk for many types of cancer, infertility, ulcers, lung disease, strokes, osteoporosis, and more. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nicotine alters adolescent brain development and is toxic in high doses.
Secondhand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, like cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, or pipes and contain more than 7,000 chemical of which 70 are known to cause cancer. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Quitting tobacco or nicotine is hard. It often takes time and practice to quit for good.
Kick It California, formerly the California Smokers’ Helpline, is a FREE telephone/text/chat-based counseling program designed to help people quit for good. People who use Kick it California are twice as likely to quit as those who do not.
Call:
- 1-800-800-8086
- Español: 1-800-600-8191
Text:
- QUIT SMOKING to 66819
- QUIT VAPING to 66819
- DEJAR DE FUMAR al 66819
- NO VAPEAR al66819
Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese. You must be 13 years or older to enroll.
Other Ways to Address Tobacco
Tobacco Retail Environment
It’s important to recognize the role the tobacco retail environment plays in youth access to and use of tobacco products. For many children and teens, their exposure to tobacco products begins at their local convenience store. Local policymakers can adopt policies to create Tobacco Retail License (TRL) programs that requires tobacco retailers to obtain a local license, from the city or county, in order to sell tobacco products in the community. The fees collected from the license are used to administer the program and conduct annual compliance checks of underage sales laws. The TRL can also limit the amount and location of tobacco retailers and the advertising in the retail establishments.
Smoke-Free Multi-Family Housing
While there are many protections for people where they work and play, protections in multi-unit housing are lacking. Secondhand smoke can drift from one unit to another through windows, walls, pipes and electrical outlets. Local governments and multi-family housing owners and managers have the authority to make their properties 100% smoke-and-tobacco free. By creating smoke-free multi-family housing, communities can provide an opportunity for everyone to live smoke-free, regardless of economic means, race, or ethnicity. Many residents may have limited options of where they can live. Moving from property to property can have long-term consequences such as negatively impacting employment and children’s educational achievement.