Cuesta College Smoke Free
Smoke, Vape, & Tobacco Free
Content
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Why did we choose to go tobacco free?
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Decreasing Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
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Protecting Workers Not Protected by State Law
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Eliminating Tobacco Litter on Campus
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Changing Tobacco Use Behavior
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Encouraging Students Not to Start Smoking
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Vaping Myths & Realities
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Benefits of Cessation Over Time
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Free Help Quitting
Why did we choose to go tobacco free?
Beginning January 1, 2019, Cuesta College officially became a smoke and tobacco-free District.
“Tobacco use – of all types – is bad for the user, those around them, and our environment; banning smoking at Cuesta College aligns with the college’s goal to promote the health and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff,” said Cherie Moore, Cuesta College Nutrition Instructor and task force member.
The process to become tobacco-free began in 2016 when Cuesta College was awarded a $7,500 Tobacco-Free Campus Grant funded by Truth Initiative®, America’s largest non-profit health organization dedicated to eliminating the use of tobacco. The Tobacco-Free Task Force – comprised of faculty, staff, and students – was launched and began researching and discussing best practices and potential policies.
Cuesta was awarded an A+ for the College and University Smoke/Tobacco-Free Report Card by CYAN and COUGH. The purpose of the Report is to reveal tobacco use policy trends on campuses in California. Read more about it here.
*California Youth Advocacy Network. (2020). California College and University Smoke/Tobacco-Free Policy Report Card. Sacramento, CA.
Decreasing Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
- Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 50,000 nonsmokers each year.
- The EPA classifies second hand smoke as a Group A carcinogen- cancer causing substance. Group A is the most dangerous.
- The California Air Resources Board has categorized secondhand smoke as a toxic air contaminant, in the same category as diesel exhaust.
- Most recently, the Surgeon General of the United States concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, and that establishing smoke-free environments is the only proven way to prevent exposure.
Protecting Workers Not Protected by State Law
More than 90 percent of Californians approve of a law to protect workers from secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace. Yet people who work on campus are still unprotected from secondhand smoke throughout the day.
Eliminating Tobacco Litter on Campus
- Cigarette waste is poisonous to our environment. The filter of a cigarette is designed to trap the toxic chemicals in the tobacco smoke from entering into the smoker’s body. The filter, when wet, releases the thousands of toxic chemicals back into the environment. These filters and chemicals are washed into waterways by storm water runoff.
- Cigarette butts are plastic, and not biodegradable.
- By eliminating tobacco litter, colleges decrease the cost and time of cleaning up tobacco litter, increase campus beautification, and decrease fire risk on campus.
Changing Tobacco Use Behavior
- Tobacco use policies (e.g., smoke-free policies) have been found to change tobacco use behavior in workplaces.
- A study published in the British Medical Journal (2002) concluded that tobacco users who worked in a completely smoke-free environment were more likely to quit using tobacco than workers in areas without strong smoke-free policies. Additionally, individuals working in smoke-free environments were more likely smoke fewer cigarettes per day.v
- Smoke-free campus policies have been proven to decrease smoking prevalence in students, to decrease the number of cigarettes used by those who smoke, and to increase favorable attitudes toward regulation of tobacco. These policies influence students’ perceptions about peer smoking (i.e. social norms). Students become less convinced that other students are tobacco users and are less likely to use tobacco based on misperceptions about a high smoking prevalence among their peers.
Encouraging Students Not to Start Smoking
- During the last 20 years, this pattern of new addiction has been changing. A recent study found one-fifth of smokers reported starting after the age of 18. Among individuals who started using tobacco before 18, regular or daily smoking was not established until the ages of 20 or 21.
- Internal tobacco industry documents support this belief and argue the transition from experimentation to a “confirmed” smoker can occur up to the age of 25. The college years have been identified as a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and transition into regular tobacco use.
- As students graduate, they will be transitioning into tobacco-free environments. In California, the majority of hospitals and K-12 campuses are 100 percent smoke free or tobacco free.
- Nationwide, worksites, college campuses, health care centers and outdoor recreational facilities are adopting comprehensive tobacco use policies.
Vaping Myths & Realities
Reality: E-cigarettes do produce a vapor that has nicotine, harmful chemicals, and toxins known to cause cancer (among other things). These chemicals and toxins include things like Formaldehyde, Lead, and Nickel.
Reality: The nicotine in most e-cigarettes comes from the tobacco plant, just like cigarettes. California recognizes all types of e-cigarettes as tobacco products.
Reality: E-cigarettes are NOT a riskfree product. They still deliver nicotine and low levels
of toxins and chemicals, many of the same chemicals found in
tobacco products. E-cigarettes are not regulated so you never know what
you’re inhaling.
Reality: E-cigarettes are NOT approved by the U.S. FDA to help people quit tobacco. You may know someone who has stopped using tobacco and switched to e-cigarettes, but switching isn’t quitting. Scientific studies are mixed on if e-cigarettes help people quit using tobacco and nicotine.
Reality: Nicotine is a poison and a highly addictive drug. Nicotine is one of the main ingredients in e-cigarettes and tobacco products.
Reality: All major tobacco companies now make e-cigarettes. In less than 10 years, Big Tobacco will sell the majority of e-cigarettes in the U.S.
Free Help Quitting:
1-844-8-NOVAPE www.novapes.org
Benefits of Cessation Over Time
This animated infographic shows the positive changes the body experiences over time after quitting smoking.
Taken from: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
FAQ:
Visit our Health Center Resources Page: Quit smoking or stop by the Student Health Center for more information.
San Luis Obispo: Building: 3100 Room: 3150 Phone: (805) 546-3171
Paso Robles: Building: 1000 Room: 1013 Phone: (805) 592-6201
Email: studenthealthcenter@cuesta.edu
You can also click here to visit the SLO County- Health Agency Tobacco Control Program site.
Email: tobaccofree@co.slo.ca.us
"Smoking" means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, cigarillo, or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for human inhalation, including hookahs and marijuana, whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or in any form. "Smoking" also includes the use of an electronic smoking device, which creates an aerosol or vapor, in any manner or in any form, or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking.
"Electronic Smoking Device" means any product used to deliver an inhaled dose of nicotine or any other substance intended for human consumption that can be used by a person to simulate smoking through inhalation of vapor or aerosol from the product.
"Hookah" means a water pipe and any associated products and devices that are used to produce fumes, smoke, and/or vapor from the burning of material including, but not limited to, tobacco, shisha, or other plant matter.
"Tobacco Product" means: (a) any product containing, made, or derived from tobacco or nicotine that is intended for human consumption, whether smoked, heated, chewed, absorbed, dissolved, inhaled, snorted, sniffed, or ingested by any other means, including, but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, little cigars, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, snuff; and (b) Any electronic device that delivers nicotine or other substances to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to an electronic cigarette, cigar, pipe, or hookah. (c) Notwithstanding any provision of subsections (a) and (b) to the contrary, "tobacco product" includes any component, part, or accessory of a tobacco product, whether or not sold separately. "Tobacco product" does not include any product that has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for sale as a tobacco cessation product or for other therapeutic purposes where such product is marketed and sold solely for such an approved purpose. Smoke, vapor, and tobacco-free means smoking, the use of tobacco products, and the use of electronic smoking devices are prohibited.
“Unregulated high-tech smoking devices, commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes,‘ closely resemble and purposefully mimic the act of smoking by having users inhale vaporized liquid nicotine created by heat through an electronic ignition system. After testing a number of e-cigarettes from two leading manufacturers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that various samples tested contained not only nicotine but also detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals, including tobacco-specific nitrosamines and diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze. The FDA‘s testing also suggested that ―quality control processes used to manufacture these products are inconsistent or non-existent. ("Summary of results: laboratory analysis of electronic cigarettes conducted by FDA," Food and Drug Administration (FDA), July 22, 2009. Click here for more information.
Free online and telephone counseling for tobacco cessation is widely available in the United States. Online and telephone counseling has been shown to be effective in helping people quit tobacco. Click here for resources.
You can also click here to visit the SLO County- Health Agency Tobacco Control Program site.
Email: tobaccofree@co.slo.ca.us
The California Department of Public Health, doctors, and health professionals recommend quitting all tobacco use because:
- Smoking doubles your risk of developing respiratory infections.
- Smoking doubles your risk of getting sicker from COVID-19.
- Youth and young adult vaping is associated with 5-7 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19.
- Learn the facts about COVID-19 and smoking and vaping from Dr. Elisa Tong of UC Davis here.
Free Help Quitting:
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The Tobacco Control Program provides community education, prevention services, and
technical assistance to government agencies, community-based organizations, law enforcement,
businesses, and residents of San Luis Obispo County. Click here for more information. |
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California Smokers' Helpline: A website, telephone helpline, and app created for teens to #quitvaping. www.novapes.org |
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This Is Quitting App and Text: The app has activities to help you quit vaping or using other tobacco products. You can also speak with a counselor 24/7. www.thisisquitting.com |
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An app to help you track your quitting progress. Earn badges, get tips on managing tough days, and play games to distract yourself from cravings. |
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SmokefreeTXT for Teens: A resource for teens that offers advice, quit support, and motivation to remain nicotine and tobacco free. https://teen.smokefree.gov/ |
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Make Online Referrals to the Helpline and Helpline staff will follow up with patients. |
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YouCanQuit2, a Defense Department (DOD) program, is an educational campaign for the U.S. military. The site supports the DOD’s efforts to build and sustain a ready and resilient force by providing resources for Service members, as well as their family and friends and health professionals. The website offers a live chat line with a tobacco cessation coach, a message board, information about medications, games and quizzes. |
More info, please visit: https://www.cyanonline.org/quit-tobacco