The goal of the West Virginia Youth Tobacco Prevention Program is to prevent our young people from trying or using tobacco products. Also to assist the youth who do use tobacco products in reducing the amount they use or quitting, including those who vape.
Raze is West Virginia's youth tobacco prevention program. To learn more about Raze Crews and the latest information please visit the Raze website. To start a new crew and to learn more about Raze Crews and adult advisors, please contact Laura Williams at the American Lung Association.
The Youth Program works closely with the American Lung Association of WV (ALA) to address the community tobacco prevention and cessation needs in the state and to provide Not-on-Tobacco (N-O-T) a teen smoking and vaping cessation program.
The American Lung Association offers a self-guided, mobile friendly web-based program that gives teens the resources to quit vaping, smoking or chewing tobacco products. This program NOT for Me can be accessed here.
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E-Cigarette use, or vaping, among youth is an epidemic in West Virginia. Vaping use rates are rising faster in West Virginia than rates across the nation.
For additional information click here: WV Youth and Vaping Summary
For information on CATCH My Breath, click here.
Resources:
The Truth Initiative has released several infographics regarding Youth Tobacco Use. To view these resources please click on the links below.
African American Youth and Tobacco Use.
Smokeless Tobacco Use by Youth.
Vaping Addiction and Youth.
Tobacco Use by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth.
Youth Tobacco Use and Mental Health.
TRUTH Campaign
The Truth campaign is a national youth smoking and vaping prevention program. According to the truth website, "We expose the truth about smoking, vaping and nicotine with our national counter-marketing campaign, the longest-running and most successful national tobacco prevention campaign for youth and young adults. Truth delivers the facts about the health effects and social consequences of smoking, vaping and nicotine use and the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry so that young people can make informed choices and influence others to do the same. Developed from extensive formative research, the campaign goes toe-to-toe with an industry that spends more than $9 billion each year to market tobacco products in the U.S. We are David to Big Tobacco's Goliath. Truth has introduced a new texting initiative called This is Quitting [TIQ], for more information click here.