Escambia, Fla. – Tobacco Free Florida in Escambia County is urging the local school board to review its tobacco policy to ensure all students, faculty, staff and visitors are protected from exposure to tobacco, including new and emerging products. The program hopes to raise awareness of free and effective tobacco cessation and prevention resources available to schools. With the introduction and widespread popularity among youth of new nicotine delivery products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), these policies must be kept up to date to protect the health and wellness of the area’s children and teens frequent.

According to the annual Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, the increase in youth e-cigarette use has slowed, however 12.5% of high schoolers are still using e-cigarettes. [i] The U.S. Surgeon General and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both been vocal in expressing concern about youth e-cigarette use, declaring it a national epidemic.[ii]^,[iii] Despite legislative changes and FDA actions, popular brands of new disposable e-cigarettes such as Puff Bar and HQD (Cuvie) continue to entice children with flavors like “Blue Razz” and bubblegum.[iv]   

“We have made significant progress in reducing tobacco’s negative health impact on our schools, but over the past few years, we have seen new tobacco and nicotine products like e-cigarettes threaten to undo the work we’ve done,” said Shirley Henderson Deputy Executive Director / Director of Social Services for Area Housing Commission  “Leaders in [Escambia] County schools must take strong action to keep our schools as healthy and tobacco free as possible.” 

Local organizations, including Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) and other community-based groups are available in every county to help school districts review tobacco free school policies to ensure alignment with current best practices and support implementation efforts for maximum effectiveness. These include working to prioritize protecting people from secondhand smoke/vapor exposure, counteracting influence from the industry, increasing access to cessation resources, and allowing for a supportive, cessation-focused approach to discipline. Tobacco Free Florida is dedicated to keeping these standards for comprehensive tobacco free school policies up to date, helping address threats to today’s school-aged children.

Across the state, Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida provides free tools and services for Floridians 18 years of age or older who are considering quitting. The Quit Your Way program offers Phone Quit and Web Quit options. Group Quit classes are also available for every county in Florida in-person or virtually and all tools and services provide free nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gum and lozenges where medically appropriate. Services can also be access by calling the toll-free number 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669) at any time.

For more information on how you can help prevent youth from using tobacco and e-cigarettes in your schools, contact your local tobacco prevention program at TobaccoFreeFlorida.com/get-involved.

About Tobacco Free Florida

The Florida Department of Health’s Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund. Since the program began in 2007, more than 295,000 Floridians have successfully quit using one of Tobacco Free Florida's free tools and services. There are now approximately 451,000 fewer adult smokers in Florida than there were 10 years ago, and the state has saved $17.7 billion in health care costs. To learn more about Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way services, visit TobaccoFreeFlorida.com or follow the campaign on Facebook at Facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFlorida or X at x.com/tobaccofreefla.

[i] Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS), Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, 2023. [accessed April 29, 2024.]

[ii] “Surgeon General’s Advisory on E-cigarette Use Among Youth.” Know the Risks: E-Cigarettes & Young People. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/surgeon-generals-advisory-on-e-cigarette-use-among-youth-2018.pdf. [Accessed March 7, 2022.]

[iii] The Federal Response to the Epidemic of E-Cigarette Use, Especially Among Children, And the Food and Drug Administration’s Compliance Policy. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/congressional-testimony/federal-response-epidemic-e-cigarette-use-especially-among-children-and-food-and-drug.

[iv] Wang TW, Neff LJ, Park-Lee E, Ren C, Cullen KA, King BA. E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1310–1312. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6937e1external icon.