The Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative Making the Case for Your Campus Going Tobacco-Free Clifford E. Douglas, J.D. Director, University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network Lecturer, University of Michigan School of Public Health Consulting Tobacco Control Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services October 17, 2013 SC Tobacco-Free College and University Summit Topics Commitment of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Acceleration of campus policies nationwide Why go tobacco-free? Effectiveness of campus policies Environmental benefits Economic benefits 1
Historic New Commitment of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services *With due respect to other founding fathers 2
Lead Partners U.S. Department of Health and Human Services American College Health Association University of Michigan Sponsors American Legacy Foundation Americans for Nonsmokers Rights Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids National Center for Tobacco Policy Other Partners (a few examples) American Lung Association The BACCHUS Network California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN) Center for Social Gerontology (Smoke-Free Environments Law Project) Montana State University Partnership for Prevention State University of New York Upstate Medical University Tobacco Control Legal Consortium University of Kentucky Acetone (solvent and paint stripper) Ammonia (poisonous gas and toilet bowl cleaner) Arsenic (potent ant poison) Benzene (poisonous toxin) Butane (flammable chemical in lighter fluid) Cadmium (carcinogenic chemical in batteries; lung & intestinal irritant) Carbon monoxide (poisonous gas in auto exhaust) Formaldehyde (dead frogs love it) Hydrogen cyanide (deadly ingredient in rat poison) Methanol (jet engine and rocket fuel) Polonium-210 (radioactive element and spy-killer) Toluene (poisonous industrial solvent) 3
One day s inhalations: 10 per cigarette x 20 cigarettes per day = 200 One year s inhalations = 200 inhalations x 365 days = 73,000 50 years of smoke (by the average smoker s mid-60s, if still alive) = 3.65 million inhalations on 365,000 cigarettes There is no safe level of tobacco use or exposure to secondhand smoke 4
Acceleration of Campus Policies Nationwide 5
As of July 2013 1,182 campuses in U.S. are 100% smoke-free with no exemptions, including residential housing facilities (where applicable) Of those, 798 two-thirds! have a 100% tobacco-free policy Examples of large campuses that have gone tobacco-free: University of California (all 10 campuses) City University of New York (all 24 campuses) Arizona State University University of Oregon University of Oklahoma University of Kentucky Montana State University University of Florida ( Gators don t chew. They chomp! ) Emory University Ohio State University Source: Americans for Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreecollegesuniversities.pdf 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Oct- 05 100% Smoke-Free Campuses Now 6
Opportunity There are 4,583 colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Education Why Go Tobacco-Free? 7
After years of steady progress, declines in youth tobacco use have slowed for cigarette smoking and stalled for use of smokeless tobacco. The latest research shows that concurrent use of multiple tobacco products is common among young people, and suggest that smokeless tobacco use is increasing among White males. - Surgeon General s Report, 2012 There are approximately 8 million smokeless tobacco users in the U.S. There is no safe tobacco product, and the Initiative encourages adoption of comprehensive tobacco-free policies. It is also recognized that each institution must make its own decisions when it comes to promoting health and preventing disease in its students, faculty, employees and visitors. Tobacco-free policies go further in promoting a culture of health and wellness while reducing exposure to the variety of non-smoked forms of tobacco that cause cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. 8
Tobacco that is not burned (combusted) Traditional smokeless products *Chew ( spitting tobacco, placed between cheek and gums) *Snuff (dry snuff sniffed through nose; moist snuff, or dip, placed between cheek and gums) Snus (finely ground tobacco placed in small packets) New generation of products Dissolvables (lozenges, orbs, sticks, strips) E-cigarettes (not called smokeless tobacco, but are similarly not combusted, and a federal court ruled that they are tobacco products subject to regulation by the FDA under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act) *Currently dominate the U.S. smokeless tobacco market 9
Addictive Not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking Most smokeless tobacco products contain carcinogens (at least 28 identified, and nitrosamine levels are higher in smokeless tobacco than in cigarettes) Most smokeless tobacco products cause oral, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer Use of these products causes precancerous lesions of the mouth (leukoplakia), as well as gum recession, gum disease, and tooth decay Use also associated with greater risk of fatal heart attacks and stroke An individual, non-smoking smokeless tobacco user experiences lower overall disease and mortality risks than a smoker, but the health effects depend on the properties of the specific product (they vary considerably) and how the product is used In 2010, almost 60 percent of young adults who used smokeless tobacco in the past month also smoked cigarettes during the same period Many smokers who begin using smokeless tobacco products neither successfully quit tobacco use nor transition to exclusive use of smokeless tobacco Many users remain stuck in a pattern of dual use of smoked and non-smoked tobacco products, instead of turning to FDAapproved nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) options This behavior effectively increases the user s health risks 10
Tobacco industry promotes dual use Ads promote use of smokeless tobacco products not to replace cigarettes but as a way for smokers to satisfy addiction wherever they cannot smoke There is a need to clearly position the [smokeless tobacco] product as a situational substitute for cigarettes rather than a replacement. - R.J. Reynolds spokesman, 2009 Effectiveness of Campus Policies 11
Study compared undergraduates smoking behaviors and attitudes at two Big Ten campuses with similar demographics Purdue University (no policy) and Indiana University (tobacco-free policy implemented in 2008) Indiana University smoking rate: 16.5% in 2007; 12.8% in 2009 (-3.7) Purdue University smoking rate: 9.5% in 2007; 10.1% in 2009 (+0.6) Indiana University consumption rate: 6.6 cigs/day in 2007; 5.9 cigs/day in 2009 (-0.7) Purdue University consumption rate: 5.2 cigs/day in 2007; 6.8 cigs/day in 2009 (+1.6) Study showed significant favorable change in attitudes among Indiana University students regarding elimination of smoking in public places and university property Source: Dong-Chul Seo et al., The Effect of a Smoke-free Campus Policy on College Students Smoking Behavior and Attitudes, Preventive Medicine 2011;53:347-352. 89% of faculty/staff and 83% of students supported policy 72% of faculty/staff and 65% students noticed decrease of smoking on campus Smoking by faculty and staff dropped from 6% to 4% Among continued smokers, 29% reduced consumption 13% of faculty/staff reported policy influenced them to quit or attempt to quit smoking 16% of students reported policy influenced them to quit or attempt to quit smoking Source: University of Michigan, Smoking Declines After U-M Campus Ban, May 9, 2013 12
Environmental Benefits Cigarette butts = single most commonly collected waste item found each year in park and beach clean-ups Cigarette butts = 25-50% of all collected litter from roads and streets 5.6 trillion butts dumped into the global environment annually 13
Cigarette butts contain all of the carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals, pesticides and nicotine that make tobacco use the leading cause of preventable death Cigarette butt waste is the last socially acceptable form of littering in what has become an increasingly health and environmentally conscious world. We [must] find solutions for eliminating this especially toxic form of trash. - Cheryl Healton et al., Butt Really? The Environmental Impact of Cigarettes, Tobacco Control, May 2011 14
Economic Benefits Economic Benefits of Tobacco- Free Campus Policies Reduced employee health care costs Reduced absenteeism Increased employee productivity Cost savings in grounds and building maintenance The costs of cleaning up this extensive pollution are borne entirely by communities and institutions, not tobacco manufacturers or their customers Fewer fires 15
There is no higher priority in public health than ending the tobacco epidemic. Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health Please visit us at: TobaccoFreeCampus.org 16