FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Feather River College is at the head of the pack on Tobacco and Nicotine Policies
People today focus a lot on diet, exercise, health, and overall well-being. They don’t talk as much about another important health issue: tobacco and nicotine use. Commercial tobacco use causes about 480,000 deaths in the US each year. It is the leading cause of preventable deaths. Each year the California Youth Advocacy Network creates a report. It is called the Tobacco-Free Policy Report Card. It shows how colleges and universities are doing each year to protect campus staff, students, and visitors from the dangers of tobacco. It focuses on their rules against tobacco and nicotine use on campus. The goal is to help colleges make rules that reduce commercial tobacco use to promote better health.
All UCs and CSUs have been smoke- and tobacco-free for several years. However, only 69 percent of community colleges are. In 2018 the Board of Governors for the California Community College system made a big decision. It was to encourage all community colleges in California to ban smoking and tobacco completely.
Feather River College became a smoke- and tobacco-free campus in July 2021 with help from the Smoke Free High Country project. It has led colleges in Plumas, Lassen, and Siskiyou counties in the smoke-free movement. This was a great accomplishment in our rural area!
Rural colleges are less likely to be smoke- and tobacco-free than colleges in cities. Two out of three community colleges in cities have banned tobacco. Only a little over half of small-town community colleges have banned tobacco. Big Tobacco targets people who live in rural areas. This leads to higher smoking rates in those areas.
So, how does FRC compare to other colleges in our region? Great! Feather River College is tied with College of the Redwoods and Shasta College. All three got A+ ratings in Region 1, the northernmost area of California.
Smoke Free High Country aims to lower tobacco use in Plumas, Lassen, and Siskiyou counties.
You might wonder why this is such a big deal. What are the benefits of having a smoke- and tobacco-free college campus?
A smoke- and tobacco-free campus can help students stop smoking. It can lower the number of cigarettes smoked. A smoke-free campus can change attitudes to make tobacco use less accepted. It can also support positive views about tobacco rules.
Tobacco waste is toxic. It does not break down. It releases dangerous chemicals that can get into our water. It is also a major source of litter and landfill problems. Reducing tobacco litter can help colleges lower the risk of fire. It can save money and time on cleanup, and make the campus look better.
As you can see, there are many great reasons for a smoke- and tobacco-free campus. Smoke- and tobacco-free Feather River College has helped us all breathe easier.
Let’s all work together to keep the momentum going!
Reach out to get involved. Support stopping smoking by reaching out to Chrissy Adams at cadams@healthcollaborative.org
California Health Collaborative, 25 Jan Court, Ste 130 Chico, CA 95928
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Submitted by Chrissy Adams.
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