Flory says that, while youth tobacco use has decreased dramatically since 2000 — from about 23% to roughly 2.3% in 2021 — it’s still a major public health threat.
The bulk of that problem now stems from vaping, with current CDC surveys estimating 2.5 million middle and high schoolers use e-cigarettes each year. Reports also show early e-cigarette users are significantly more likely to take up habitual smoking compared to peers.
“Tobacco and vape-free policies are more important than ever as e-cigarette use among young people continues at epidemic levels,” said Truth Initiative CEO and President Robin Koval in a press release announcing the MBU grant.
She says this is particularly true for colleges and universities whose populations are disproportionately affected by tobacco and who have been targeted by tobacco companies – including people in low-income communities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals, military members, and those with mental illness.
“Giving colleges the tools and resources to create tobacco/vape-free policies will help us realize a future where young people reject smoking, vaping, and nicotine use,” Koval continued.
Over the next 17 months Flory will lead a campus task force — which will include two student leaders — to assess smoking, vaping, and tobacco-use behaviors and attitudes on campus, create a cessation support plan for current smokers and vapers, and identify educational opportunities to help foster healthier practices.
Mary Baldwin’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences campus has been a tobacco- and vape-free zone since it opened in 2014.
“We’re excited to hit the ground running with our partners at Truth Initiative to help to lead the charge in realizing a future where young people choose lives free from nicotine,” Flory said.
