A new World Health Organization (WHO) report highlights that 5.6 billion people – 71% of the world’s population – are now protected with at least one best practice policy to help save lives from deadly tobacco – five times more than in 2007. This is fantastic news and shows we can work toward a world where people willingly reject tobacco. We will continue working until a tobacco free generation is reality!
It’s Quitting Time. Quit Week is back for the fourth straight year in North Dakota to encourage commercial tobacco and alternative nicotine product users to make June 11-17 their time to be Tobacco Free in 2023.
Tobacco Free North Dakota and cessation partners of North Dakota Health and Human Services encourage all cigarette, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarette or vape, or nicotine pouch users in North Dakota to set a quit date.
Those using commercial tobacco are more likely to successfully stop using when supported – whether by coaching or medication use. Entities like a healthcare provider, pharmacist, NDQuits, or a local public health unit can help develop a quit plan and provide resources to greatly improve a user’s odds of success. Quit plans prepare those who use tobacco products to manage cravings and change routines to avoid triggers to become and stay tobacco-free.
NDQuits provides additional support through personal coaching and nicotine replacement therapy medication. Free nicotine patches, nicotine gum, or nicotine lozenges are provided to qualified enrollees. Connect with NDQuits at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/ndquits or 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
To promote Quit Week messaging, follow Tobacco Free North Dakota’s Facebook page.
This story was done by KFYR-TV to honor the 10-year anniversary of North Dakota’s smoke-free air. Dr. Eric Johnson, one of TFND’s esteemed board members, was interviewed for the piece. To read the full story, click here.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the passage North Dakota’s Smoke-Free Air Law, Tobacco Free North Dakota is announcing a special version of our Video Essay Scholarship Contest for all ND high school seniors. TFND is a statewide non-profit that advocates for policies to prevent youth initiation to tobacco and nicotine products with the goal of creating North Dakota’s first tobacco free generation. North Dakota High school seniors will have the opportunity to compete for a $1500 college scholarship. To participate students must submit a 1-3 minute video based on topics chosen by TFND. The contest is open to all high school seniors. This edition’s topics are:
• The importance of maintaining the state’s strong smoke-free air law.
• The smoke-free air law has been in place for 10 years! Many of the entrants in this contest probably don’t remember the “singers in a smoky room” restaurants. Interview your family, friends, and community members about what it was like when there was smoking in public, indoor spaces.
• Every single county voted in favor of the smoke-free air law in 2012, yet special interest groups are the ones trying to overturn it. How would you educate the community about what is going on?
• Secondhand smoke is dangerous to everyone exposed to it, and causes billions of dollars in healthcare costs nationally every year, yet it receives only a fraction of the attention that other tobacco dangers do. Show us why #SecondhandSmokeisNoJoke
To read more about the contest rules, please read our SMOKE-FREE AIR LAW VESC Contest Packet
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism released a new report showing heated tobacco products from Philip Morris has significantly more nicotine than previously thought. The product claims to have 0.5 milligrams of nicotine per stick, but testing showed it has 4 mg of nicotine per stick. To read the full analysis, click here.
Here are the slideshows from the Badlands Symposium presentations. Each can be accessed by clicking on the name:
Badlands Symposium_Pharmacist Providers
Badlands Symposium_TFND_SmokeFreeAirLaw and This Is Quitting
News broke that big tobacco companies are trying to push a “Cash for Vape” program with Australian pharmacists to encourage them to prescribe and distribute vaping devices and product. This is an incredibly devious plan and further proves that vaping is big tobacco in digital form. To read the response from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), click here.
New CDC data shows that the cost of smoking nationally was more than $184 billion, including costs of $465 million in North Dakota. This is a first of its kind study to provide a detailed estimate to the costs of smoking. To read the study and appendix, follow the links below.
Appendix_Cost of Smoking-Attributable Productivity Losses, U.S., 2018
Cost of Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Productivity Losses, U.S., 2018