 To celebrate the 10th anniversary of TSET’s Tobacco Stops With Me program earlier this month, TSET announced a bold agenda to cut adult smoking in half over the next decade. More than 30 partner organizations including Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Oklahoma State Medical Association, YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City and Southern Plains Tribal Health Board, also signed on to a 7-point plan to cut adult smoking in half in the next decade.
It’s a bold goal. It’s a moonshot goal. And it’s achievable by bringing a diverse group of partners together to advocate for policy changes that will save lives, keep young people from starting to use tobacco and protect all Oklahomans from tobacco use and secondhand smoke.
The Tobacco Stops With Me agenda to cut adult smoking to 10 percent in 10 years outlines the necessary steps Oklahoma should take to save lives and create a healthier future for our state. The initiative focuses on creating common sense solutions and modernizing policies – including policies influenced by tobacco companies that have since been ordered by a federal judge run advertising highlight the industry’s efforts to lie, mislead, addict and distort the facts about the harms of tobacco use and secondhand smoke.
- Prohibit smoking in cars with children present
- Remove exemptions in state law that allow smoking in bars, hotels and other businesses
- Raise the minimum legal age to buy tobacco products to 21
- Ban on all menthols and flavored tobacco
- Cigarette price increases over the next decade
- Strengthen enforcement against underage tobacco sales
- Remove labor law protections for smokers
To add your name in support of this effort, click here. You can learn more about how we are taking a stand against tobacco in our state and our aggressive agenda by clicking here.
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Monroe Elementary School was honored recently for efforts to put health-promoting policies into action and going the extra step to promote health at the Oklahoma City elementary school. The school received a $3,000 grant through the TSET Healthy Incentive Program for Schools. Monroe Elementary School has implemented increased physical activity throughout the school day in a variety of ways, including using physical activity programs in the classroom and allowing students to walk before or after school on a walking track. These examples exceed the requirements of the Oklahoma City Public Schools wellness policy.
Monroe Elementary School used grant funds to purchase an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) equipment. AEDs are lifesaving equipment that can be used in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.
 Pictured from left to right: Oklahoma City Superintendent, Dr. Sean McDaniel; Oklahoma City Public Schools board member, Rebecca Bud; Healthy Living Program Coordinator for Schools Tonia Lowrey; Program Manager of TSET Healthy Incentive Program for Schools Sharon Howard; Physical Education teacher Shannon Buck; TSET Executive Director John Woods; Monroe Elementary Principal Eric Meador
Limiting marketing to children, updating the state’s clean indoor air laws and tobacco-free school laws to include e-cigarette aerosol were among the recommendations made during the Senate Health and Human Services interim study on the health effects of vaping.
TSET Executive Director John Woods was among the presenters at the study which examined youth usage of e-cigarettes in Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, 16.4 percent of youth use e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are not covered by the 24/7 tobacco-free school law that was adopted in 2015. However, through work with TSET Healthy Living Program and TSET Healthy Incentive Program for Schools, 42 percent of school districts have approved policies that prohibit e-cigarette use on school district property.
Other recommendations to prevent and reduce the use of e-cigarettes by youth include:
- Providing periodic and adequate enforcement to increase compliance of existing laws.
- Begin defining or licensing e-cigarettes as a tobacco product.
- Add zoning restrictions on where an e-cigarette retailer can be located.
- Limiting flavors of all tobacco products and e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes can contain nicotine, which is not only highly addictive but also harmful to brain development. Nicotine addiction can make children susceptible to depression and can lead to use of addictive substances later in life.
To read more about vaping and e-cigarettes, click here.
Looking for healthy meal ideas for the holidays? Shape Your Future has recipes for every picky eater in your family that they are sure to love. From Roasted Turkey Breast to Sweet Potato Pie there are plenty of options. If you’re looking for a little something extra to add to the table, try our Thanksgiving Healthy Centerpiece, “Turkey” Fruit Appetizer, or the Thanksgiving Placemat. Fall into fun with recipes and activities from Shape Your Future this holiday season.
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