Today Nevada County Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention Program announced a new countywide tobacco and nicotine prevention education project—Clear the Air Nevada County. The central feature of the project is a new website, ClearTheAirNC.com, which will serve as a key resource for the community to learn more about the health impact of tobacco and nicotine products and find resources to help community members not start, quit or reduce their nicotine use.
“For more than 20 years, we’ve worked hard to prevent kids from using tobacco and nicotine,” said Shannon Glaz, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator at Nevada County Public Health. “Thanks to these efforts, youth smoking continues to drop to historically low levels. But then e-cigarettes and vapes came along, giving Big Tobacco a new way to get young people addicted to nicotine. Now, after 15 years of vaping, they’re turning to oral nicotine pouches. With Clear the Air Nevada County, we want to share the latest health information so people can see through Big Tobacco’s tricks and keep our communities safe and healthy.”
With new tobacco and nicotine products appearing all the time—like nicotine pouches—Clear the Air Nevada County helps local residents, especially young people, understand the risks.
“I work with young people every day who are struggling to quit vaping,” said Marlene Mahurin, Program Coordinator of Intervention Services for the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools. “Most started in middle school and now are addicted to nicotine, one of the most difficult substances to quit. The resources on this site are so important to educate students on the risks of vaping and offer cessation support to those who need help stopping.”
What the Project Offers
Clear the Air Nevada County provides:
- Information on tobacco and nicotine products and their health risks.
- Tips and resources to help people quit smoking, vaping, or using smokeless nicotine products.
- Ways to get involved in local efforts to stop Big Tobacco through community work and policy changes.
What’s on the Website?
The website has three main sections:
- Clearing the Air on Nicotine – Health information about nicotine and its effects on the body and brain. This section also corrects false claims and misleading ads from Big Tobacco.
- Resources – Links to helpful tools, such as quitting programs, guides for parents, and information for youth, veterans and schools.
- Making a Difference – Details on how people in Nevada County can work together to push for strong tobacco laws and policies that protect the community.
“This website is great,” said Felicia Sobonya, Clear the Air adult coalition member and long-time tobacco and nicotine prevention advocate in Nevada County. “Every community needs tobacco prevention and education, but it’s especially important in rural areas where more people use tobacco and nicotine. Young people see these products everywhere, and many people want help to quit for themselves or their loved ones. Our community needs support for all levels of tobacco and vaping addiction. Clear the Air Nevada County’s website offers helpful information and resources for everyone.”
Local Impact
Showing the impact of people coming together to pass tobacco laws that protect the community, Grass Valley recently passed stronger laws for tobacco retailers. These rules make sure that tobacco stores are not too close to schools and youth centers, fix gaps in flavor bans, and even stop stores from selling nitrous oxide.
“This work has given me opportunities for policy work and making a real difference,” said Graham Gardemeyer, Friday Night Live Chapter President at Nevada Union and a member of the school’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education program. “Working with other young people to make our community safer and healthier through passing reasonable and common-sense ordinances, such as the one in Grass Valley, has been the highlight of my advocacy work in tobacco and nicotine prevention.”
Along with the website, Clear the Air Nevada County is sharing new outreach materials to spread the word. Learn more by visiting ClearTheAirNC.com and checking out the resources, information, and ways to get involved.