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The G.R.E.E.N. Foundation

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Our Mission: Gathering resources to educate and empower through networks

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Tobacco and Vape Use Education

Our Black/ African American communities have been longtime targets of Big Tobacco. Black people are more likely than white people to suffer from smoking-related disease, such as lung cancer, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease. To end this vicious cycle of pain and destruction induced onto the black community, TGF is working alongside other local organizations to eliminate predatory marketing and promote culturally competent smoking cessation resources.

Keeping Our Lungs Safe (KOLS) is a project . This joint collaboration funded by the California Department of Public Health works to eliminate health disparities related to tobacco and tobacco smoke in Los Angeles County jurisdictions, such as Inglewood, Gardena, Hawthorne, Carson, Compton, Lancaster, and Palmdale. A collaborative effort to:
  • Empowering youth and young adult populations through education and advocacy regarding the dangers of tobacco and tobacco smoke.
  • Engaging and educating priority populations about the effects of tobacco use.
  • Developing adult and youth coalitions to further bridge the health equity gap.
  • Conducting seminars and workshops to reduce the number of tobacco-related diseases and deaths in our communities.

The goal of FULSTOP (Families Uniting Locally to Solve Tobacco Proliferation) is to reduce tobacco-related health disparities and make gains toward health equity among African American/Black populations in San Diego and Orange County, California, through collaborative, regional approaches directed towards policy change and community education. Four Focus Points:
  • To establish a youth-led Community Advocacy Board (CAB)
  • Champion smoke-free multi-unit housing policies
  • Advocate for smoke-free based (place of workship)
  • Campaign for policies that prohibit sale and distribution of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.

California Tobacco Facts & Figures 2018 | New Challenges to Tobacco Control in California

So why does the proliferation of tobacco product categories and shifts in tobacco marketing matter? California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2018 presents a troubling picture of teen tobacco use. The data show that while teen cigarette smoking in 2016 is low (4.3 percent), overall tobacco use among teens is stagnant. In 2016, overall teen tobacco use rate (13.6 percent) is comparable to cigarette smoking rate in 2010 (13.8 percent). The proliferation of tobacco product categories, flavored products, and the evolution in tobacco marketing appear to be fueling teens switching from traditional cigarettes to a new generation of tobacco products. A rapid public health response to the evolving tobacco product marketplace is needed to prevent the next generation of youth from a lifelong addiction to nicotine.