The Archuleta County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use.
Recently, Lacy Capre from the ACPHD gave a presentation to the Healthy Archuleta team members on the history, evolution, health impacts and current marketing of tobacco products.
Today’s tobacco products include combustible products (cigarettes, cigars), dissolvables (chew, packets), electronic nicotine products (vapes) and heated tobacco delivery products. These products vary in nicotine levels, with vapes (up to 50 mg/ml of nicotine) and pouches (up to 14 mg of nicotine) delivering significantly more nicotine than cigarettes (1.5 to 3 mg). Commercial tobacco products are designed to be highly addictive and pose various health risks, including cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Contrary to some beliefs, vapes and pouches do not help reduce nicotine addiction; they increase it.
All tobacco products are legally available in Colorado for those 21 and older, but many are marketed to attract younger consumers, including on social media.
By becoming aware of the dangers of commercial tobacco products, especially to our youth, we can help educate our families, friends and our community to understand how the use of tobacco products adversely affects our health.
To combat tobacco addiction, resources like the Colorado Quitline, https://www.coquitline.org/en-US (for ages 15 and up); Baby and Me Tobacco Free, https://babyandmetobaccofree.org/ (for pregnant women); My Life My Quit, www.mylifemyquit.com (for ages 12-17); and the American Indian Commercial Tobacco Program, https://wy-americanindian.quitlogix.org/en-us/ are available.
Community support is encouraged through participation in Take Down Tobacco Day on April 1, with a tobacco-free walk being planned in Archuleta County.
For more information, please contact the ACPHD. To learn more about the efforts of Healthy Archuleta, please visit our website at www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org or send us an email at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com.
