
November 2023
Native American Heritage Month
National Native American Heritage Month is observed each November to celebrate the historic, contemporary, and diverse contributions of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers, and settlers of the United States. In 2022, over 75 DFC coalitions (about 8%) supported tribal youth in substance use prevention, and you can read a few of their stories below. As coalitions continue to expand efforts in youth substance use prevention to support American Indian and Alaska Native youth, it is critical that we uplift Indigenous Knowledge and identify, implement and evaluate other relevant strategies in collaboration with the rich and varied local communities we serve.
Resources on Drug Overdose Prevention in Tribal Communities:
Tobacco Companies and Convenience Stores Partner to Hook Kids and fight life-saving policies
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has released an updated version of the report Deadly Alliance: How Big Tobacco and Convenience Stores Partner to Hook Kids and Fight Life-Saving Policies in partnership with the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC), American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Center for Black Health & Equity, Counter Tools, and Truth Initiative.
Originally released in 2012, this 2023 update includes:
- The latest data from the Federal Trade Commission reports on marketing expenditures by the top cigarette, smokeless, and e-cigarette companies, which continue to show high proportions of spending at the point-of-sale
- Updated evidence of point-of-sale marketing to youth and communities of color
- Examples of the widespread availability of kid-friendly flavored tobacco products at the point-of-sale
- New examples of the tobacco and convenience store industries working together to oppose effective tobacco control policies
- A description of the corrective statements – court-ordered signs posted at the point of sale by the tobacco companies – resulting from the 2006 landmark ruling that tobacco companies had lied to the public for decades
Point-of-Sale Tobacco Control Policy News
FDA sends menthol ban to White House for final review
- Earlier this month, the FDA sent its rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review. Public health advocates have long awaited this final regulatory step since the FDA first announced a proposed rule in April 2022 and have worked towards this critical step for health equity for decades.
- Meanwhile, Big Tobacco continues to introduce new "non-menthol" cigarette products using synthetic menthol substitutes in an attempt to circumvent existing and looming menthol bans.
Local Progress Navigating Preemption at the Point of Sale
- The mayor of Honolulu, HI signed into law a measure that prohibits the sale of most flavored tobacco products, but this "trigger ban" will only go into effect if the state law preempting such regulations is overturned or suspended.
- Benton Harbor, MI commissioners voted in support of banning the sale of flavored tobacco products in an effort to call on the state to end sales of the products since localities are prohibited from doing so.
- Burlington, NC is considering regulating vape shop locations through zoning, a strategy an increasing number of North Carolina localities are pursuing to better regulate the tobacco retail environment while navigating around many state restrictions on local authority.
- Learn more about these strategies and others to understand, navigate, and work to undo preemption at the tobacco point of sale in the Tobacco Point of Sale Playbook we developed along with our partners at ChangeLab Solutions.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMERCIAL TOBACCO AND SACRED TOBACCO
Tobacco has a central role in many indigenous communities, making it paramount to distinguish its sacred use from commercial use.
Sacred tobacco has been used by American Indian nations for centuries, in a variety of natural products that differ across regions and tribes. Sacred tobacco (also called traditional tobacco) does not contain additives, is not manufactured or marketed by the tobacco industry, and does not pose the same threats to public health and the environment that commercial tobacco does.
Sacred tobacco
The tobacco plant is considered a sacred gift by many American Indian communities, who use it for spiritual and medicinal purposes. It's important to note that American Indian populations are diverse and consist of numerous tribes and nations, each with a unique history and relationship with tobacco. While methods and ingredients differ across communities, sacred tobacco is often carefully hand-prepared and offered respectfully for prayer, healing, and ceremony. When used in ceremony or for medicinal purposes, sacred tobacco is not associated with addiction or adverse health impacts.
Commercial tobacco
Commercial tobacco is mass-produced, sold for profit, and contains added chemicals. Commercial tobacco is manufactured by companies for use in cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars, hookah, and other products. Nicotine is the primary addictive substance in commercial tobacco. Commercial tobacco is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which gives the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution, and advertising of commercial tobacco products.
Policies to combat commercial tobacco use in indigenous communities
American Indians and Alaska Natives use commercial tobacco more than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. While American Indian communities have a rich history of sacred tobacco practices (Alaska Natives do not have a history of using tobacco for ceremonial or traditional practices but were introduced to the product by western cultures) they have also been hit hard by the commercial tobacco industry. To combat this, indigenous community groups and public health programs joined together to create a blueprint for reducing commercial tobacco use in indigenous communities.
Since tobacco plays a central role in the traditions of many indigenous communities, commercial tobacco cessation and prevention programs are most effective when they embrace this history and reclaim tradition.
A report by Keep it Sacred, a national network of tribal organizations and health programs working to decrease commercial tobacco use among American Indians and Alaska Natives, outlines several effective grassroots public health efforts that have been successful. Common characteristics of these programs include honoring cultural traditions, amplifying indigenous voices, leveraging youth and elder leadership, and redefining best practices to include indigenous wisdom. The report also offers recommendations for local, state, federal, and private funders and foundations that are working or interested in working with indigenous communities.
For more information on patterns of use, industry targeting, and health consequences of commercial tobacco use in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, download our fact sheet.
Download the PTTC Network fact sheet here: https://pttcnetwork.org/media/1724
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was a success across the region!
Many coalitions across the region hosted medication take back days including Shadle Prevention Coalition, West Spokane Wellness Partnership, North East Community Coalition, Colfax Coalition, and Cheney!
Transgender awareness week pic Transgender Awareness Week November 13-19, 2023
Whitworth Wellbeing Fair saw over 100 students!
Xylazine Fact Sheet: A Guide for Youth-Serving Health Care Providers
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have created a message guide on xylazine to support youth-serving providers and other adults to talk to young people directly about the health risks of xylazine. Click here to check out the Xylazine Fact Sheet
How States Can Leverage JUUL Settlement Funds to Promote Public Health
States have reached settlements with e-cigarette producer JUUL to curb youth marketing and compensate for the harm caused by their products. Although JUUL has not admitted fault, they have agreed to stop marketing their products in a way likely to appeal to youth.
The settlement funds are intended to be directed toward tobacco control measures, specifically the prevention of youth e-cigarette use. Public health leaders play a vital role in guiding the allocation of these funds to evidence-based strategies for preventing youth vaping.
Read more in this week's Health Policy Update.
Truth Initiative’s Prescription Drug Safety Curriculum
The Truth Initiative have expanded their free curriculum that educates youth on the dangers of prescription drug and counterfeit drug misuse. The new and improved course provides essential content about how youth can protect themselves and increase their knowledge on the risk of opioid misuse, counterfeit drugs containing synthetic opioid fentanyl, and empower them to make better decisions. Click here to check out the curriculum.
Opioid Preparedness Exercise in a Box
The Opioid Preparedness Exercise in a Box houses all the materials that a state or territory would need to plan and facilitate an exercise to develop, test, and/or enhance a state response protocol for responding to disruptions in access to opioid prescriptions or medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
The materials in the Opioid Preparedness Exercise in a Box are modifiable. States and territories can adapt these resources to fit unique needs and characteristics when preparing for and facilitating their own opioid preparedness exercise.
Starts With Hope Media Campaign
Today, the Ad Council and our partners at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Council for Mental Wellbeing, & Shatterproof, are launching a new campaign, Start With Hope, to inspire individuals who are at risk for or living with a substance use disorder (SUD) to begin their paths to wellbeing and recovery by connecting them with harm reduction strategies and treatment resources.
Informed by foundational research from the Ad Council Research Institute conducted earlier this year, and experts at the CDC, National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Shatterproof, the new campaign, leans on the insight that people with SUDs found immense value in hearing from those who have been through similar experiences.
The new “Start With Hope” campaign shares powerful first-person stories of lived experience, inclusive of many different paths toward recovery. The campaign aims to reach all adults living with or at-risk for developing a substance use disorder, but with particular focus on supporting Black and Latinx individuals: while the overall rates of substance use in these communities are similar to those of the general population, due to compounding inequities including stigma, racial bias, barriers to health care, and lack of culturally responsive services, Black and Latinx individuals often have lower access to substance use treatment. This campaign is informed by that reality that there are unique disparities that these communities face and there continues to be a huge need for culturally informed and responsive communications and resources to support them.
We are pleased to share the campaign press release and campaign PSAs below, and invite you to visit the campaign digital resources StartWithHope.com and
ComienzaConEsperanza.com to learn more about vital information and resources for individuals that are looking to rethink their relationship with substances.