The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living hosts Vaping Town Hall in Lake Charles
Mar. 12, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2024
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Valerie Huntley
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL)
Phone: (504) 338-8566
Email: vhuntley@lphi.org
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) brought together business and community leaders in Lake Charles to address teen vaping
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living hosted their Vaping Town Hall in Lake Charles
LAKE CHARLES, LA – The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) hosted their Vaping Town Hall Series in Lake Charles on Thursday, March 7, 11am – 1pm at the CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Lake Charles. The event featured representatives from TFL and a panel of business and community leaders, school officials and a student. This group came together to have a candid discussion on vaping issues and hear from the community about their ideas for eliminating vaping among our young adults. The event was free and open to the public.
“One of TFL’s goals is to prevent the initiation of tobacco use among young people,” says Dr. Earl “Nupsius” Benjamin-Robinson, Senior Director, Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living and Director of Office of Community Engagement, Louisiana Cancer Research Center. “TFL strives to work in collaboration with all Louisiana communities to end the use of vaping in our young adults to protect and maintain the health of the future leaders of Louisiana.”
In Louisiana alone, we found that vapes and cigarettes were most likely to be the first tobacco products tried by youth and almost 1 in 5 middle schoolers and almost 1 in 3 high schoolers currently vape.
According to the CDC, Youth use of tobacco products in any form is unsafe, irrespective of whether it is smoked, smokeless, or electronic. If smoking continues at current rates, 5.6 million—or 1 out of every 13—of today’s children will ultimately die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. Our young adults are the future, and we need to educate them on the dangers of vaping to preserve the future of our country.
TFL engages in local and statewide tobacco control policy efforts that focus on tobacco prevention and initiation among youth, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, promoting cessation services, and identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities. TFL is guided by best practices in tobacco control by the Louisiana Cancer Research Center and envisions a healthier Louisiana by reducing the excessive burden of tobacco use on all Louisianans. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.
TFL has engaged youth in a variety of tobacco control and advocacy activities. Founded in 2017, Next Era is TFL’s statewide youth movement uniting teens across Louisiana as agents of change to promote healthy, tobacco-free lifestyles. Next Era empowers high school teens to work toward meaningful change in their communities. Learn more at wearenextera.org.
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The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) a program of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center and the Louisiana Public Health Institute, engages in local and statewide tobacco control policy efforts that focus on tobacco prevention and initiation among youth, eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation services, and identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities. TFL is guided by best practices in tobacco control as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, effective and promising practices of tobacco control programs in effect nationwide, and from the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (e.g., National Institute of Cancer’s Scientific Priorities). For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.