In 2020, New York banned the flavored e-cigarette products that had the strongest youth appeal and that fueled the youth vaping epidemic. But the tobacco industry has found ways around the existing law resulting in New York State having the highest continued retail availability of prohibited products of any of the six states that have an e-cigarette flavor ban in place. In our own local observations of tobacco retailers, 15 out of 41 stores in Albany County were selling flavored vapes; 16 out of 31 retailers in Schenectady County were selling flavored vapes. The widespread availability of ille ..read more

Click here to apply now! The post We’re hiring! appeared first on Capital District Tobacco-Free Communities ..read more

Tobacco ads and displays are so ubiquitous, most non-smoking adults don’t even notice them. But once you DO notice, you’ll wonder how you could possibly have missed them. Noticing how pervasive and aggressive tobacco marketing is also makes it easier to understand why it has such a profound impact on adult and youth tobacco use. That’s why we chose to summarize the findings from our most recent round of Licensed Tobacco Retailer store observations into a visual tour of what tobacco marketing and promotion actually looks like in the City of Albany’s highest poverty neighborhoods. These neighbor ..read more

Gen Z’ers have never known the ritual of renting a movie at Blockbuster, burning a CD or having to develop film before you can view a photo. Such is the power of technological progress. New York State Gen Z’ers have also never known the ritual of being asked “Smoking or non-smoking?” upon entering enter a restaurant, nor have they worked a part-time or summer job in a smoke-filled environment. Such is the power of tobacco-control progress. July 24, 2023, marked the 20th anniversary of New York state’s Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA), a law that transformed nearly all indoor workplaces, including b ..read more

As part of our local education efforts, we’re pleased to release a video testimonial from Rivquah Caldwell, a Schenectady resident who experienced firsthand the suffering and harms caused by tobacco use as one of several members of her family who all smoked menthol cigarettes. Her voice, and that of others like her, need to be heard. Please watch, listen and share. The post Community Spotlight Video: Rivquah appeared first on Capital District Tobacco-Free Communities ..read more

A neighborhood’s greatest assets are the people who live there. And nowhere was that more evident than at Hood’s House of Hoops (HHH) on June 13 as West Hill neighborhood residents took us up on our  invitation to meet, greet. . .and eat. In partnership with HHH President and CEO Jamil Hood, Sr., the CDTFC team organized a “Play Hard, Breathe Easy” BBQ to welcome summer and celebrate the West Hill community. And what better way to celebrate than with fun activities, games, prizes, and food catered by West Hill’s own Allie B’s Cozy Kitchen. [See image gallery at smokefreecapital.org] HHH i ..read more

Today (May 31) is World No Tobacco Day. This year’s theme is Grow Food, Not Tobacco. The World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on how tobacco growing harms our health, the health of farmers, and the health of our planet.  According to WHO, the tobacco industry is contributing to the global food crisis. Some reasons include:  Scarcity of quality land. Quality land is increasingly being used for tobacco growing in low- and middle-income countries, reducing the amount of land that could be used for crops to nourish people. Limited choice of alternatives ..read more

The City of Schenectady became the most recent Capital District community to pass a local law that will help save lungs, lives and the planet by prohibiting smoking and vaping of both tobacco and cannabis in all city parks. Inhaling secondhand smoke from tobacco and cannabis, and secondhand aerosols from e-cigarettes isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a health hazard. Tobacco and cannabis smoke and vape aerosols all contain chemicals known to cause cancer in humans. For people with asthma and certain other chronic conditions, even brief exposure can have serious and life-threatening consequences. C ..read more

  Menthol, along with other sweet, fruity and candy flavors in tobacco products make tobacco products taste better and feel less harsh on the throat, making them more appealing and easier for young people to use.  Flavors also create the impression that these products are less harmful than they really are. More than 80% of youth who use tobacco products started with a flavored product and continue to use flavored products. New York State prohibited the sale of flavored e-cigarettes containing nicotine in 2020. But other flavored tobacco products remain ubiquitous. Menthol flavored c ..read more

NYS has launched a new phase of the It’s Not Just media campaign which exposes the tobacco industry’s intentional efforts to increase menthol product appeal to the LGBTQIA+ community. LGBTQIA+ people use tobacco, including menthol cigarettes, at higher rates than people who are cisgender and straight. National data shows that people who identify as bisexual are twice as likely to start smoking or be current smokers; 35.5% of transgender people are current smokers compared to 14.9% of heterosexual adults; and black transgender youth use tobacco at six times the rate of black cis youth. Addition ..read more