Resources
Missouri schools can protect youth from tobacco use and exposure. Comprehensive tobacco and vape-free school policies that incorporate evidence-based prevention, cessation and supportive discipline are the foundation for protecting youth from tobacco use and exposure in the school environment. Comprehensive tobacco and vape-free environments prevent youth initiation and use by changing the social norm and make it easier for youth to quit tobacco products.
See resources below for help implementing, communicating and enforcing a comprehensive tobacco and vape-free school policy.
For information on youth tobacco use and how to prevent it, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To view the Tobacco Prevention Guide references, click here.
NEW Be Free. Live Proud. Nicotine Cessation Campaign
Be Free. Live Proud. has been developed alongside young people is intended to reach youth and young adults aged 18-24. The content is designed for easy posting and integration into your own social media and communication plans regarding quitting tobacco/nicotine. Partners and youth and young adult-serving organizations are encouraged to download and utilize all FREE campaign resources, including downloadable posters, social media and a campaign playbook. Feel free to reach out to Brittany Carpenter at bcndf@missouri.edu with any questions about this campaign.
Retailer Training Available!
The Show Me Education and Compliance training is free for owners, managers and clerks of establishments that sell tobacco and nicotine.
This training was developed to increase compliance with sale laws and to decrease sales and access to youth. Create a login and begin the course by clicking above.
Topics include:
- The importance of addressing youth tobacco use in the retail environment.
- Overview of federal, state and local laws.
- Overview of the various agencies responsible for the regulation and enforcement of the tobacco industry.
- Assistance in the detection of false identification.
Learn about the Retail Corrective Statements
Tobacco companies were ordered by a federal court to issue corrective statements about the addictiveness of nicotine and the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke. This signage should be displayed in all tobacco retail outlets. The order went into effect on July 1, 2023, and gave retailers three months to post the required corrective statements. Retailers are required to display the signs for 21 months thereafter and are “required to post the sign near the selling window, highly visible to the customer, and that can be seen by customers as they approach or are standing at the selling window.” To help Tobacco Retailers comply, they are strongly encouraged to utilize the FREE Show Me Education and Compliance Training above. Reducing youth access to tobacco at the retail level is one of the ways to prevent tobacco initiation. View the retail corrective statements HERE!
American Cancer Society Overview - Click to Download
Find Social Media Resources from Tobacco Free Kids Below!
Preventing Youth and Young Adult Tobacco Use
Missouri is passionate about preventing youth substance use and has developed a collaborative network of prevention coalitions, agencies and individuals to address community needs.
The Missouri Department of Mental Health’s Division of Behavioral Health provides funding to ten Prevention Resource Centers (PRCs) that provide technical assistance and support to community coalitions throughout the state.
Find the PRC that covers your community!
Additional hard-hitting media campaigns can be found HERE!
Locate Your Legislator HERE!
Want to get involved in preventing youth tobacco use?
- Learn about how Tobacco 21 or smoke-free ordinances are passed at the community level. Visit American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation for resources and guidance.
- #BeTheFirst Tobacco Free Generation.
- Reach out to the Youth Tobacco Use Prevention Specialist to get involved.
- Share evidence-based information and resources with your community and community leaders.
Do your part to help Missouri lose its designation as a Tobacco Nation state.
E-cigarettes and Vaping
Click the video below to learn more about how vaping nicotine can negatively affect a teen’s mental health.
"VAPING" IS NOT THE SOLUTION. E-cigarettes are not safe.
There is no conclusive scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are safe. E-cigarettes are being incorrectly promoted as a quit aid, but these devices are not approved as a cessation aid by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Learn more at CDC.gov/e-cigarettes.
There are proven quit strategies and treatments available – counseling and FDA-approved medications have been shown to help tobacco users quit successfully. Missouri Tobacco Quit Services can help you quit e-cigarettes.
Vaping and Youth What Health Care Providers Need to Know
Vaping and Youth What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know
