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Tobacco/vape-free Communities

Why tobacco/vape-free communities is an important issue

Tobacco/vape-free communities contribute to creating a future where commercial tobacco and nicotine addiction are things of the past and provide important protection from secondhand smoke exposure, which causes thousands of premature deaths each year. 

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Tobacco-free communities are also especially important for those that serve populations disproportionately affected by tobacco — including people in low-income communities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals, women, youth, members of the military and those with mental illness — who have a long and documented history of being targeted by the tobacco industry.

More than 42% of the U.S. population remains unprotected by comprehensive smoke-free laws, with only 28 states and territories that have enacted such policies. In addition to supporting these policies, we are helping create tobacco/vape-free communities in many ways, including teaming with minority-serving academic institutions, community colleges and women’s colleges to help them address smoking, vaping and tobacco use in all forms through our tobacco/vape-free College Program, calling on pharmacies to stop selling tobacco and supporting Tobacco 21 policies that raise the legal age to purchase tobacco, to name just a few.

We are creating a future where tobacco and nicotine addiction are a thing of the past. This is how we're doing.

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