Youth Prevention
How Can We Prevent NH Youth from Using Tobacco?
In NH, 11.7% of NH high school youth reported smoking a whole cigarette for the first time before the age of thirteen. It is important to start educating children at an early age about the dangers of tobacco use.
The Report of the Surgeon General Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults recommends taking these steps:
- Set an example—encourage young people to avoid tobacco use by quitting ourselves.
- Create a community where seeing people smoke or use other tobacco products is the exception.
- Ban tobacco in public places—such as workplaces, schools, day care centers, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, and parks.
- Take steps that make it harder for youth to use tobacco, such as raising cigarette prices and enforcing laws that prohibit the sale of tobacco to children
- Further limit tobacco marketing that is likely to be seen by young people.
- Limit youth exposure to smoking in movies and other media.
- Educate young people and help them make healthy choices.
- Campaign effectively against tobacco use through mass media
E-Cigarettes/Vaping
NH was one of the first states to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors under 18. Breathe NH and members of its New Hampshire Youth Network helped pass this law in 2010, House Bill 1541.
Read more about the policy victory here.
Learn more about E-Cigarettes and youth vaping prevention
click here