Tobacco Prevention and Control

Through the Tobacco Prevention and Control project, NACCHO aims to provide local health departments (LHDs) with resources to reduce the impact of tobacco in their communities and works collaboratively with partners to ensure the integration of national, state, and local tobacco control efforts. More »

NACCHO Webinar: Menthol in Tobacco Products - What Local Health Departments Can Do

Tobacco companies add flavors to their products to mask the harsh taste of tobacco, making it easier for young people to start smoking. That's why Congress banned the sale of flavored cigarettes in 2009. But Congress made one exception to the flavor ban, deferring action on the most popular of all flavors — menthol — and directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to decide whether continued sale of menthol cigarettes is "appropriate for public health." Unfortunately, in the nearly four years since the law was enacted, the FDA has studied the issue but failed to take action to prohibit menthol in tobacco products. During this NACCHO webinar, experts from the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium will discuss what local health departments can do to press the FDA to take bold action while also considering local policy options to address the devastating public health impact of menthol in tobacco products. The webinar will be on Tuesday, July 9 at 1 PM ET. Please click here to register.

A doctor's advice and assistance more than doubles the odds that a smoker will quit successfully. On May 22, CDC unveiled the new "Talk With Your Doctor" feature of the Tips From Former Smokers campaign. National television ads with the call-to-action message "You can quit. Talk with your doctor for help" will encourage smokers to ask a doctor for help and encourage clinicians to ask patients if they smoke and offer assistance in helping them quit. Local health departments can use the resources here to promote this important message to the health care community.

In May, local news outlet WLNS in Lansing, MI ran a two-part story Tobacco Unlicensed: The Real Story Behind Teenage Smoking. Ingham County Health Department's tobacco licensing program, which allows the county to revoke licenses if retailers sell to minors, is one of only three counties in the state with such a program due to preemption. View Part 1 and Part 2 of the news story, and read NACCHO's recently updated policy statement on Opposition to Preemption of Local Tobacco Control Regulations.

NACCHO's Chronic Disease Team is pleased to release its new action guide to help LHDs build capacity for local implementation of Comprehensive Cancer Control coalitions. Based on the results of NACCHO's 2011-2012 Cancer Control in Local Health Departments Assessment, the action guide contains lessons learned from local health officials who have successfully implemented local coalitions to reduce the cancer burden in their communities. To download the Action Guide, please click here.

NACCHO is looking for tobacco control and prevention tools for our Toolbox, a free, online collection of local public health resources produced by members of the public health community. Examples of tools include presentations, fact sheets, drills, evaluations, protocols, templates, reports, case examples, or training materials. To submit a tool, please contact Amy Henes.