Local initiatives supported by the Tobacco Free Sumter Partnership include those below:
Point of Sale - Menthol
Stop illegal tobacco and vape product sales and predatory marketing practices.
- At first glance, a convenience store looks innocent enough, but there are some deadly things going on here, courtesy of Big Tobacco. Big Tobacco’s last frontier is the convenience store, where there are few restrictions. In fact, the majority of their advertising and promotional dollars are spent there - $7.3 Billion A Year. Learn More
- Local communities are being negatively impacted by menthol in tobacco products and its marketing at the point of sael.
- Ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars will save lives and help promote health equity. Menthol cigarettes make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. That is why flavors, including menthol, are one of the primary reasons kids start using tobacco products. Currently, nearly 19 million people smoke menthol cigarettes. The use of menthol is highest among Black and brown communities and the lesbian, gay and bisexual population.
Tobacco Free Schools (K12)
Learn how schools can get smart on tobacco prevention
- Youth spend more time in school than almost anywhere else
- 9 of 10 of adult smokers start before age 18
- Youth e-cigarette use is a nationwide epidemic
Tobacco Free Public Spaces (Parks/Beaches)
- The recent update to Florida’s seminal Florida Clean Air Act, “The Regulation of Smoking by Counties and Municipalities Act”, allows local governments to enact policies to restrict smoking in outdoor shared spaces they own and operate, such as public beaches and community parks.
- Tobacco/vape-free communities are an integral part of preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all. Tobacco/vape-free spaces provide important protection from secondhand smoke exposure, which causes thousands of premature deaths each year.
