📣  CALL FOR ABSTRACTS  📣

Dr. William Hazel, M.D.
Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources

college paper writer website that writes essays

Brian King, Ph.D., MPH
Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Deputy Director for Research Translation for the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, King will provide the thai woman domyhomework most up-to-date answers to
four key questions related to electronic cigarettes: 1) What are the different types of electronic cigarettes available on the U.S. market and how do they
work? 2) Are there differences in the use of electronic cigarettes across U.S. youth and domyhomework mail order brides adult population groups? 3) What are the potential public health
harms and benefits of electronic cigarettes at the individual and population levels? and 4) What are college paper writer website that writes essayssome policy options that could be implemented to
minimize potential harms of electronic cigarettes?

Joshua Pritchett
Gustavo Torrez
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Soni Tankersley, MS
Rescue Social Change Group

Virginia high school students
Y Street

Youth can play a critical role in policy change initiatives. Adult leaders should know that engaging young people in such efforts
doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. This interactive session will summarize strategies for engaging youth in local and statewide policy
campaigns and will feature successful youth engagement models from across the nation. Presenters will review the youth engagement tools used by national
groups the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Evolvement Denver and Virginia’s Y Street youth advocacy group. The training and data collection resources of
these groups will be reviewed as well as their means to prepare youth to share their findings with decision-makers. This interactive session will outline
strategies to engage youth in local and statewide policy campaigns and will showcase the impact of these efforts.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the critical role youth advocates serve to influence decision-makers and build community support for policy change.
2. Describe Y Street’s and Evolvement’s models of youth engagement and policy change.
3. Discuss the appropriate blend of youth empowerment and adult coordination for successful youth involvement in policy change.
4. Identify successful youth engagement methods using best practice models.

Kate McCauley, M.Ed., LCSW
Center for Parents and Teens, Falls Church, Va.

What are they thinking? As adults, we often ask ourselves this question when we watch young people do something goofy, reckless, or
mean. If we understand what’s going on for young people developmentally, it makes more sense. During this session the presenter will explore what’s
happening for young people as they are developing socially and emotionally while trying to arrive successfully into adulthood. Equally important, the
session will cover what youth won’t divulge about what they really need from the adults around them.

Katie Halverson
American Lung Association in Wisconsin

Lisa Kehl, MPH, MSW
Kristen Scholly, Ph.D.
University Health Services-Health Promotion, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Tobacco-free college campus policies are a growing trend as a way to prevent tobacco use and ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery
Systems) use among young adults. At the core of effective tobacco-free campus initiatives are educational campaigns and strong partnerships. This session
will explore the necessary components of a tobacco-free college campus policy and ways to successfully engage partners to pass and maintain such a policy.
Information will be shared on the current research related to ENDS use among the college population as well as specific ways to heighten awareness about the
use of these products on campus. Presenters will help participants identify where gaps currently exist in tobacco use regulations and where measures can be
taken to address this new form of nicotine exposure from ENDS aerosol discharge on campus. Tools will be shared for training, campaigns, and technical
assistance for colleges. In addition, participants will brainstorm creative social marketing campaign ideas for campuses.

Learning Objectives:
1. Summarize the benefits of a 100% tobacco-free college campus policy and identify resources to develop policies.
2. Understand the current research on e-cigarettes and other ENDS products as it relates to the college population and existing tobacco-control
policies.
3. Describe potential partnerships and effective strategies that can further tobacco-free campus efforts.
4. Identify resources that can be useful in addressing e-cigarette misperceptions among the college population.

Delmonte Jefferson
National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN)

Joelle Lester, J.D.
Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, a program of the Public Health Law Center

Tobacco manufacturers have found it profitable to market flavored cigars, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco to youth. By masking
tobacco’s harsh flavor with fruit, candy, and menthol flavors, these products attract the next generation of “replacement smokers” and tobacco users.
Tobacco companies also appeal to youth with advertisements and packaging that exhibit colorful and trendy designs. In 2009, in response to this public
health concern, the United States banned cigarettes that contain flavors other than tobacco or menthol. Unfortunately, this leaves menthol cigarettes and
all flavors of other tobacco products on the market to attract and addict new young tobacco users. In this session, presenters will discuss the history and
evidence of harm posed by flavored tobacco products including menthol. This session will explore the role flavors play in facilitating youth initiation of
tobacco use and will discuss the legal authority that states and communities have to regulate the sale of flavored tobacco products. Participants will gain
an understanding of the various policy options available to state and local governments to regulate these products in an effort to protect young people and
reduce health disparities. Presenters will share important points to consider when crafting and implementing policies to maximize the impact on public
health.

Learning Objectives:
1. Discover the history of flavored tobacco products as well as the latest evidence about the health harms of flavored tobacco.
2. Describe state authority to regulate the sale of flavored tobacco products.
3. Analyze the various policy options that are available to states and communities.

Sharon D. Arndt, MPH, MPA
Community Health Development and Preparedness, Fairfax County Health Department

Matthew C. Herman, MPH, CHES
Consortium for Infant and Child Health, Eastern Virginia Medical School

Tobacco-free workplaces and restaurants are commonplace today. Campaigns that address smoking in cars or in public parks are less so.
This session will focus on the innovative efforts of two communities that are working to promote tobacco-free living in unexpected places. The Consortium
for Infant and Child Health’s (CINCH) campaign titled #757SmokeFreeRide (#757SFR) encourages its community to take the pledge to protect children from
secondhand smoke in cars. Taking the pledge means drivers do not allow children to ride in a car that has been smoked or vaped in at any time. This
presentation will immerse the audience in the campaign’s messaging strategies, approaches and partner recruitment efforts. In Fairfax County, VA, the
Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax developed a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) that includes Tobacco-Free Living as a priority area. The
Partnership’s Tobacco-Free Living Team researched and developed a policy proposal for “Tobacco-Free Play Zones” which was approved by local park authority
boards and athletic councils. This presentation will focus on the collaboration of the team and its community stakeholders resulting in signs being
installed in over 1300 playgrounds, athletic fields/courts and skate parks. Presenters will share the policy’s impact on the nearly 2 million people
visiting their public play zones each year. Participants will brainstorm ways to replicate similar pledge campaigns or tobacco-free play zones in their
communities.

Learning Objectives:
1. Summarize development, successes and future plans of the #757SmokeFreeRide campaign, including messaging and materials.
2. Understand “Tobacco-Free Play Zones” as a policy, system and environmental change strategy and learn about its development and implementation in all
public play zones in Fairfax County, Va.
3. Examine recruitment and partnership of community stakeholders involved in each effort and identify how assessment data can be used to prioritize a
community’s public health agenda.

Kerry Cork, J.D., MA
Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, a program of the Public Health Law Center

Pat McKone
Mission Programs, American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest

Addressing the high prevalence of smoking among vulnerable young adults – particularly those who struggle with mental health disorders,
substance abuse, and related health disparities – is a difficult task for many in the public health community. Although the smoking rate for U.S. youth has
declined in recent years, smoking rates among youth who engage in high risk behaviors and/or who suffer from mental health issues, alcohol abuse and other
substance use disorders remains high. Additionally, adults in America with mental health disorders smoke nearly half of all cigarettes produced, yet are
only half as likely to quit as other smokers. This session will provide an overview of the problem of tobacco use among vulnerable populations housed in
U.S. residential “assisted living” settings, including shelters, halfway houses, and adult foster care facilities. In these settings, troubled youth and
other priority populations live in supervised environments, where addressing nicotine addiction is often seen as less a priority than these behavioral
health disorders, and where tobacco use may be common among staff and treatment providers as well as fellow residents. Presenters will share examples of
several states and facilities that have implemented policies that make tobacco-free living a viable lifestyle option for these vulnerable populations.
Resources will be identified for addressing secondhand smoke exposure among disparate populations.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe reasons for tobacco use prevalence rates among vulnerable young adults, particularly those suffering from substance abuse and mental health
disorders.
2. Identify three barriers to adopting, implementing and enforcing tobacco control policies in residential facilities and placement settings for vulnerable
young adults.
3. Discuss three practical ways to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure in residential facilities for vulnerable populations.

Jeffrey Jordan, MA
President & Executive Creative Director
Rescue Social Change Group

Daniel Saggese, MBA
Director of Marketing
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth

Teens are not all the same. Some teens choose to engage in tobacco use, while others actively avoid it. Research has consistently
identified peer influence as one of biggest factors, if not the most influential factor, in teen tobacco use. However, peer influence is rarely included in
behavior change programs because it seems too allusive and variable to depend on.

The concept of “peer crowds,” however, organizes American teens into five “crowds” that share similar interests, lifestyles, influencers, and habits.
Research on these peer crowds has demonstrated their ability to predict tobacco use behavior more effectively than demographics alone. More importantly,
each peer crowd has a unique set of values that can be used to create more effective messages and intervention strategies to influence risk behaviors.

This presentation will review the science of peer crowds using brand new data from the Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey. Then, interventions designed to reach
specific peer crowds will be discussed, including how messages are tailored to the unique values of each crowd, and how digital and social media can be
targeted to their unique interests.

Danny Saggese, MBA
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth

Virginia high school students
Y Street

Youth advocacy can play a critical role to influence key decision makers and change policy. The statewide youth-led volunteer group in
Virginia – Y Street – demonstrates that youth can successfully advocate for and support tobacco-free school environments. This session will review the
components of the 24/7 Campaign where youth advocates are working toward the promotion and enforcement of 100% comprehensive tobacco-free school policies.
Presenters will discuss strategies and lessons learned in the first year of the project including data collection efforts, training youth to communicate
with key decision-makers and planning special events. Participants will see firsthand the positive impact that youth involvement can have in tobacco use
prevention policy efforts.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the critical role youth advocates serve to influence decision makers, while recognizing the appropriate blend of youth
empowerment and
adult coordination for successful youth involvement and campaign outcomes.
2. Understand the importance of establishing campaigns with clear objectives, standardized measures of progress, and messages to motivate youth
participation while limiting the amount of adult management to achieve outcomes.
3. Understand the concept of creating comprehensive tobacco-free school policies through a case study of the 24/7 campaign in Virginia. The audience will
learn about campaign survey results, campaign strategy, event execution, key meetings, and other continued efforts to implement, communicate, and enforce
school and division tobacco-free policies in Virginia.

Michael W. Swisher
Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families

Research is clear that having positive adults in the lives of a young person reduces risk-taking behavior. But what does such a
relationship look like? And how do you build those when you have 30+ other kids vying for your attention? Part information, part inspiration, this session
will provide fundamentals of building positive, supportive relationships with young people in programs.

Jon Fritsch, MS, CTTS
Laurie Fritsch, MSEd, CHES, CTTS, CSCS
Virginia Tech, Hokie Wellness

Lara Latimer, Ph.D.
The University of Texas at Austin

Darrien Skinner
Texas State University

Research shows that most lifelong tobacco users initiate use before age 26; thus, tobacco prevention and cessation efforts aimed at
young adults are critically needed. The college campus environment can present a new place for experimentation with Other Tobacco Products (OTPs), such as
hookah or electronic cigarettes as well as social pressures to use traditional cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. This session will delve into the work at The
University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University and Virginia Tech to promote tobacco-free lifestyles on their college campuses. Presenters will review
campus campaigns including their management, implementation and evaluation methods. Tools and resources will be shared that can be duplicated for
comprehensive campus policies, community involvement, peer education and environmental scans.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe why college students are a priority population for tobacco prevention.
2. Identify the programmatic components of the Tobacco-Free Hokies (TFH) campaign and the Peers Against Tobacco (PAT) program.
3. Identify and describe resources for media campaigns, online curricula, tools to assist with campus policy improvement, community partnerships, peer
education and environmental scans.
4. Discuss ways to replicate the campaign/program models.

Luke Chalmers, MPH, CHES, CPH
Linnea Fletcher, MPA, MPH
Utah County Health Department

William C. Tilburg, J.D.
Network for Public Health Law – Eastern Region

Despite skyrocketing sales and use figures, e-cigarettes remain largely unregulated. Currently, most states prohibit the sale of
e-cigarettes to individuals under the age of 18, and at least 16 states require liquid nicotine containers be sold in child-resistant packaging. Yet few
jurisdictions take other steps to regulate these products. The proposed FDA deeming regulation contains little more than language prohibiting the sale of
e-cigarettes to minors nationwide. This session will introduce and analyze common sense policy options for regulating the sale and use of e-cigarettes and
reducing youth access to such products. Licensing, zoning, indoor use restrictions, taxation, and other strategies will be described. Discussion will cover
addressing common challenges and obstacles, to enacting state and local laws regulating the sale and use of e-cigarettes. State and local health department
collaboration will be emphasized as a means to develop effective statewide policy.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe policy options state and local governments can use to regulate the sale and use of electronic cigarettes.
2. Identify challenges to adopting and implementing policies regulating the sale and use of electronic cigarettes.
3. Understand the importance of local and state health departments working together on tobacco product policies and regulations.

Paul Fitzpatrick, MA
Defense Health Agency

Kimberlee Homer Vagadori, MPH
California Youth Advocacy Network

In 2011, the Department of Defense (DoD) published a survey describing the alarmingly high rates of tobacco use among military service
members. According to the study, close to half of all those who serve in the military (49.2%) used a nicotine product in the past 12 months. Similar to
active duty service members, military veterans also have disproportionately high rates of tobacco use. This session will summarize the problem of tobacco
use in military communities and share strategies for increasing access to culturally appropriate cessation services. Presenters will discuss the valuable
partnerships that were used and the specific cessation services offered to help military members and veterans quit.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the key factors surrounding tobacco cessation in the military.
2. Describe resources available to service members to help them quit tobacco use.
3. Summarize digital advertising tactics that can be used to reach a targeted audience with a specific message.

Sean Forbes
Michael Murray
Office of Health Communication and Education, Center for Tobacco Products, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The FDA’s The Real Cost (TRC) campaign launched in February 2014, targeting youth at risk for cigarette use. In spring 2016 the
campaign broadened its scope to include those most at risk for smokeless tobacco use: rural, male youth. The goal of the campaign is to prevent teens who
are open to tobacco use from trying and to stop those already experimenting with tobacco from progressing to regular use. This is achieved by making teens
hyperconscious of the real cost of tobacco use through breakthrough, new portrayals of the harmful ingredients, health consequences and addiction risks of
tobacco. The Real Cost brand connects to youth in the digital world by understanding teen media consumption habits, researching youth passion points and
interacting with them where they already go online. TRC works to engage them via the most effective channels and to share messaging that surprises and
resonates. TRC has motivated more than 1.8 million conversations on social channels and engaged more than 8.1 million unique visitors on our website. The
presentation will cover how the campaign integrates digital into the overarching brand and campaign strategy and will share successes and lessons learned
for engaging difficult-to-reach target audiences across the digital landscape.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the strategy for reaching and engaging the at-risk youth ages 12-17 and understand how the digital ecosystem works together to maximize reach,
engagement and effectiveness.
2. Describe social media engagement strategies and share success stories as well as lessons learned in the development of these strategies.
3. Learn how to apply best practices and lessons learned from The Real Cost campaign to improve engagement with your target audience via a variety of social
and digital media platforms.

Jeffrey Jordan, MA
Rescue Social Change Group

At-risk teens are often using risk behaviors to stand out and be different from the mainstream. In turn, they need custom-targeted,
culturally appropriate messages and strategies that appeal to their identities and values. Whether it be Hip Hop, Country, Hipster or Alternative Rock
youth, they all need campaigns that authentically reach them. Digital and social media make this possible by providing opportunities to deliver highly
targeted messages at low price points. This session will review both organic and paid digital and social media strategies to reach different at-risk teen
subcultures and ways to measure their progress.

Nina Baltierra, MPH
Counter Tools

Jessica Eaddy, MSW
UNC Gillings School of Public Health

Colleen Hughes, CSAPC
Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

In 2012, the tobacco industry spent over $9 billion marketing and promoting cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products, 91% of which was
spent at the point-of-sale (POS) or retail environment. Exposure to POS advertising and promotions has been found to prompt smoking initiation in youth,
encourage tobacco use and undermine quit attempts. States and communities must enlist comprehensive POS tobacco control measures and effective policy
solutions to overcome industry tactics. This session will explore the problem of tobacco in the retail setting; identify ways to assess the problem in a
methodological, reliable, fun way; and review comprehensive solutions to bring about positive changes in local communities. Presenters will discuss
CounterTobacco.org, a free, comprehensive online resource for local, state, and federal practitioners and policymakers interested in advancing tobacco
control strategies in the retail environment. A demonstration of the Counter Tools Store Mapper will illustrate how density can be related to demographics
and health disparities of communities. The history of the Virginia retailer verification project including its process and protocols will be reviewed and
results from this pilot program will be shared. CounterTobacco.org’s up-to-date resources about the POS problem, policy solutions, tools, and media
galleries will also be showcased.

Learning Objectives:
1. Review research linking point-of-sale marketing and advertising to youth smoking initiation and maintenance. Understand the importance of point-of-sale
strategies in tobacco control.
2. Introduce practitioners to tools that can be used in their point-of-sale work with youth via the website, countertobacco.org
3. Explore possibilities in terms of community engagement, point-of-sale policies and behavioral health initiatives as a result of the data gathered through
the project.

Roy Priest
Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Alexandria, Va.

Rachel M. Riley
Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

This session will highlight the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s major policy activities to promote smoke-free housing
policies among low-income housing providers, including its proposed regulation published in November 2015 that applies to public housing authorities.
Participants will also learn about the experience of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority in Northern Virginia as it transitioned to
smoke-free policies for its more than 1000 housing units. Participants will also hear about various partners that may assist them in working with low-income
housing providers. Presenters will discuss the perspectives of federal and local agencies that have promoted and implemented smoke-free policies for
low-income individuals and families who reside in multi-unit properties. The experiences of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority will document
that implementing a smoke-free policy in affordable housing can be an effective strategy to improve indoor air quality and reduce exposure to secondhand
smoke. Smoking cessation will be discussed as an important complement to a policy change as many residents view it as an opportunity to quit smoking.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify methods to implement smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing, with focus on low-income housing units.
2. Learn strategies to promote smoking cessation during smoke-free policy implementation.
3. Identify resources available to assist with implementation of a smoke-free policy in multi-unit housing.

Marissa Levine, M.D., MPH
State Health Commissioner
Commonwealth of Virginia

Amy Barkley
Advocacy Director, Tobacco States and Mid-Atlantic
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Ann Boonn, MPH
Director of Research
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Increasing tobacco taxes is still one of the most effective strategies to reduce tobacco use, especially among youth. The 2014 Surgeon
General’s report reiterated this when it stated, “The evidence is sufficient to conclude that increases in the prices of tobacco products, including those
resulting from excise tax increases, prevent initiation of tobacco use, promote cessation, and reduce the prevalence and intensity of tobacco use among
youth and adults.” However, state tobacco taxes have stagnated – there have been very few increases in recent years, and where they have passed, the
increase amounts have been small. We need to better understand why that is, and how to move past any obstacles. This session will address the current status
of state tobacco tax rates, recent developments in states, and provide an overview of the fundamental elements of tax policy to cover all tobacco products –
both cigarettes and non-cigarette products. Further, the presenter will examine common arguments against tax increases so that attendees can be prepared
when confronted by opponents.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people each year. If current trends continue, 5.6
million of today’s youth will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. High tobacco taxes, comprehensive smoke-free laws and comprehensive tobacco
prevention and cessation programs are proven strategies to reduce tobacco use and help smokers quit. A policy on the horizon to augment what we already know
works is raising the tobacco sale age to 21. This session will provide an overview of this emerging policy, including the case for adopting the policy,
findings from the 2015 Institute of Medicine report, and where the policy has been adopted.

Learning Objectives:
1. To understand the current issues regarding state and local tobacco taxes and raising the age of sale to 21.
2. To develop effective counter-arguments to common messages opposing tobacco tax increases and raising the minimum legal sale age to 21.
3. To learn about advocacy resources for tobacco taxes and 21.

Donna Gassie, MPA
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth

Ellen Jones, MPA
Global Wellness Solutions

Brenda Gibbs
William A. Hunton YMCA

Generation Z lives in a fast-paced, hyper-abbreviated, selfie-shrouded universe. To that end, tobacco use prevention programs for
today’s teens must evolve in order to bring effective skill building opportunities and current facts to young people in a way that is real and relevant.
Today’s teens not only need to learn the harmful effects of traditional combustible and smokeless tobacco in fun and engaging ways but they also need the
facts about Other Tobacco Products (OTP)’s like hookah, ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) and dissolvables. This session will offer a new resource
available from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) to enliven evidence-based tobacco use prevention programs. Presenters will review the
newly-developed Other Tobacco Products Module which can be taught in a variety of youth settings. The program’s development, implementation and evaluation
details will be shared as well as other new and compelling ways to deliver tobacco use prevention lessons in the classroom.

Christine Hunt
Kristen Tertzakian
Truth Initiative

Jim D. Martin, MS
North Carolina Division of Public Health

With 99% of smokers starting before age 27, college campuses are critical partners in the effort to decrease tobacco use initiation,
help tobacco users quit, and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. The number of colleges and universities with a 100% smoke- or tobacco-free policy has
nearly tripled over the past five years from 446 in 2010 to 1,620 in 2015. To build on this momentum, Truth Initiative, a national public health non-profit
organization, is supporting community college efforts and assisting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to adopt comprehensive tobacco-free
policies. HBCUs and community colleges serve predominately low-socioeconomic communities and a population with disproportionately high smoking rates as well
as first-generation college students. This session will outline the tools available through the Truth Initiative for these specific campus environments. The
North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch works with community colleges in the state on tobacco-free campus policies through training, technical
assistance and resources. Since 2007, 38 of 58 community colleges in North Carolina have effectively adopted and implemented a 100% tobacco-free campus
policy.

Joy Blankley Meyer
American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic and Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT)

Not sure where to begin when meeting with decision-makers? This session will provide a map in more ways than one! The presenter will
share two key strategies for educating lawmakers: 1. Advocacy workshops, which culminate in an annual “Advocacy Day” at the state capitol; and 2.
District-level maps, which help to illustrate how policy issues impact policy makers and their constituencies on a local level. This interactive
presentation will include examples of workshop activities (e.g. advocacy tips, interactive rebuttal practice) and a slideshow demonstrating maps and other
advocacy tools. These strategies have strengthened advocate knowledge of high-priority legislative issues and helped to coordinate key messages that can be
used statewide. Participants will learn how to develop or expand their current advocacy efforts by adopting similar strategies.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe strategies for coordinating and evaluating advocacy workshops and advocacy days.
2. Discuss and illustrate potential workshop activities, such as advocacy tips and interactive rebuttal practice.
3. Demonstrate how maps can visually portray data relating to legislative issues and individual legislators (i.e. district-level mapping) and how maps can
supplement other information during sessions with legislators.

Kimberlee Homer Vagadori, MPH
California Youth Advocacy Network

Amanda Irizarry
Steven Jackson, MPH
Jamie Magee, MSW, MSPH
Tobacco Control Services, Health Promotion Council

As demonstrated in the Centers for Disease Control Best Practices User Guide on Youth Engagement, comprehensive tobacco control
programs must involve youth to advance policy change. This session will examine two youth advocacy training programs and their ability to empower youth to
make sustainable changes in their communities, their states and beyond.
Presenters from the California Youth Advocacy Network and the Health Promotion Council in Philadelphia will share tools that allow organizations to assess
their capacity to recruit and engage youth and train them on the basics of persuasion, community mobilizing and public health education. This session will
showcase how young people trained as advocates benefit from the unique blend of classroom learning, discussion, observation and action in their community.
Outcomes of events and activities will be shared as well as lessons learned through individual campaigns.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify and discuss two approaches to youth advocacy training and strategies to educate and mobilize youth.
2. Determine if and how the strategies can be implemented in other communities to engage, train and empower youth around issues of youth tobacco prevention.
3. Assess their organization’s capacity to engage youth as partners in advocacy.
4. Identify opportunities for youth to advocate for local policy change and/or create a plan for developing a strong youth-adult partnership.

Kristina A. Hamilton, MPH
American Lung Association

Erika C.E. Mansur, J.D.
Arizona Office of the Attorney General

The tobacco retail environment is typically flooded with eye-catching advertisements, special price promotions, colorful packaging and
easy access to products due to placement. All of these tactics make tobacco products more appealing to youth. This session will deconstruct the retail
environment through point-of-sale audits conducted in Chicago and will also review recent efforts of the Arizona Office of the Attorney General to improve
the Assurances of Voluntary Compliance (AVC) among thirteen of the largest national retailers. This surveillance data can be valuable information for
lawmakers, regulators and community members in their efforts to strengthen youth access laws and improve the retail environment in their communities.
Presenters will share practical suggestions for public health agencies and advocates who are interested in assisting with AVC monitoring. A sample AVC
inspection form for use by adults or youth will also be presented.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand tobacco companies’ efforts to target youth at the point of sale.
2. Identify the value of conducting point-of-sale surveillance at the community level and learn how to conduct in-person store audits.
3. Understand the AVC that exist at thirteen of the largest national tobacco retailers.
4. Learn how to use the AVC inspection form in the retail environment.

Cynthia Hallett, MPH
Executive Director
American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation

Alayne MacArthur, MS
President and Principal Consultant
Circa Learning, LLC

The legalization of recreational marijuana poses a number of concerns and challenges for public health. A commercial marijuana industry
has the potential to act in the same manner as the tobacco industry in recruiting young smokers and keeping them hooked. According to a report commissioned
by the tobacco company, Brown and Williamson, and cited by SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana): “The use of marijuana … has important implications for the
tobacco industry in terms of an alternative product line. [We] have the land to grow it, the machines to roll it and package it, the distribution to market
it.” The tobacco industry has worked successfully for decades to conceal the harms of its product, develop powerful marketing strategies targeting youth and
oppose clean indoor air measures. Thus, very specific concerns arise for those working to educate youth and young people about the harms of marijuana when
more states entertain the issue of legalizing its recreational use. Public perception, particularly among youth and young adults, that marijuana is
‘natural’ and ‘safe’ is contributing to an increase in the prevalence of marijuana smokers and a significant push for exempting marijuana from smoke-free
laws. This session will explore the trajectory and implications of a legalized cannabis market and the similarities between the two industries. Presenters
will inform and prepare participants to advise decision-makers on sound public health policy that includes comprehensive smoke-free laws without exemptions.

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the potential for the tobacco industry’s expansion into the legalized cannabis market and how their marketing strategies are already being
used.
2. Identify effective approaches for increasing youth resistance to marijuana marketing and use, similar to tobacco prevention methods. Supply models for
delivering cost- effective professional development that prepares educators to teach about these issues.
3. Discuss scientific rationale for including marijuana in smoke-free laws.
4. Review current policy trends including marijuana use prohibitions in smoke-free spaces and explore current experiences with implementing smoke-free laws
that include marijuana and electronic tobacco and marijuana delivery devices.