PACT Notes

November 23rd, 2018

Tobacco 21 Campaign Follow Up
Adult Advocates
Want to learn more about the Tobacco 21 Campaign in Pennsylvania? PACT is very excited to share the Tobacco 21 campaign webinar recording and webinar slides with all PACT members.
PACT is seeking testimonials and spokespeople for this year’s campaign. If you have a testimonial or would like to be a Tobacco 21 spokesperson, use this link to submit your story.
Be on the lookout for the Tobacco 21 Advocate’s Toolkit and new legislative visit materials that will be released in December!
TRU Advisors
Do you work with youth or are interested in learning more about working with youth to advocate for Tobacco 21? TRU is excited to share the Youth Engagement: How to Advocates for Tobacco 21 Webinar. Included here are also the links for the Tobacco 21 TRU Ambassador Application, Tobacco 21 Testimonials and sharing your TRU Legislative Visit.
Don’t forget to check out the resources that were discussed such as UpTheAge.com and our Advocacy Toolkit (which will soon be updated on the new TRU website!) Please enjoy these resources and start getting your TRU groups excited to participate in the upcoming Tobacco 21 Uprisings and even partake in Tobacco 21 Legislative Visits with your groups.
ALA and PACT
Mark your calendars for the Pennsylvania Advocacy 101 Training webinar, scheduled for December 12th, 2018 at 11:00am! All new advocates are strongly encouraged to attend in order to receive the most up-to-date and consistent information on the basics of advocacy for this fiscal year. Please share this information out to all service providers, coalitions, and community stakeholders.
The Pennsylvania Tobacco Prevention and Control Program has released is MPOWER Annual Summary Report for State Fiscal year 2017/2018. This report contains information on the worksite tobacco policy initiative, multi-unit housing, young lungs at play, regional cessation, PA Free Quitline, PACT, enforcement checks, and much more!
The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that aerosol from electronic vapor products, such as e-cigarettes, can contain harmful and potentially harmful constituents. This study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessed the prevalence and determinants of U.S. adult attitudes toward electronic vapor product use in indoor public places. A total of 82.4% of adults strongly or somewhat opposed the use of electronic vapor products in indoor public places, including 28.0% of current (past 30-day) electronic vapor product users and 52.7% of current cigarette smokers. Prohibiting electronic vapor product use in indoor public areas can protect bystanders from the health risks of secondhand electronic vapor product aerosol exposure.
The American Lung Association has released new e-cigarette resources that include information about health effects as well as information that parents, schools and teens should know.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at PACT. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!

PACT Notes

PACT Notes – December 21, 2018

PACT Notes – December 21, 2018

A new study found that increases in adolescent vaping from 2017 to 2018 were the largest ever recorded in the past 43 years for any adolescent substance use outcome in the U.S.

In just one year e-cigarette use among youth has skyrocketed, increasing by:
90% among 12th graders
96% among 10th graders
74% among 8th graders

PACT Notes – December 14, 2018

PACT Notes – December 14, 2018

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark 1998 legal settlement between the states and the tobacco companies, which required the companies to pay more than $200 billion over time as compensation for tobacco-related health care costs.

The report challenges states to do more to fight tobacco use – the nation’s No. 1 preventable cause of death – and to confront the growing epidemic of youth e-cigarette use in America. In Pennsylvania, 8.7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, while 11.3 percent use e-cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 22,000 Pennsylvania lives and costs the state $6.3 billion in health care bills annually.

PACT Notes – December 7, 2018

PACT Notes – December 7, 2018

This week Senator Mario Scavello (PA-40) released a co-sponsorship memo for Tobacco 21. He is actively looking for support in the Senate and plans to introduce legislation in the session starting in the new year. While PACT is still advising that advocates wait until the new year to start their legislative visits, if you have any connections with Senators you think might be interested in support please reach out to PACT and we are happy to connect them with Senator Scavello’s Office.