Tobacco Free Lancaster County
December 2020 Newsletter
2020: Challenging but Successful
TFLC would like to thank all of our members and partners who made 2020 amazing! We could not have done it without you all and we look forward to an even better 2021!
TFLC Hosted First City-Wide Great American Smokeout Event #GASOLNK
As we know, businesses and organizations that have strong tobacco-free policies, which include cessation support for their employees, are one of the best ways to reduce tobacco use in our community. TFLC is proud to announce that Speedway Motors was chosen as the 2020 #GASOLNK Tobacco-Free Business Champion. Not only has Speedway Motors been a tobacco-free campus for 15 years, they also demonstrate a commitment to supporting and encouraging quit attempts with tobacco cessation classes, resources and tools, and making sure to check in with employees that they know are on the tobacco-free journey.
TFLC's Business/School Task Force plans to continue celebrating our Tobacco-Free Business Champions throughout the year with quarterly champions and is already planning for next year's #GASOLNK event!
November is Native American Heritage Month: See how TFLC is Partnering with the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
Keep Tobacco Sacred
Smoking is an Addiction, Not Our Tradition
Traditional Tobacco has Many Uses
2020 Tobacco and E-cigarette Retailer Compliance Checks
LPD and LLCHD partnered to conduct 298 compliance checks at retailers across the city. The checks resulted in 22 sales to minors for a non-compliance rate of 7.4%, which is up from 5% last year. Sales to minors included sixteen tobacco products and six vapor products. The overall vapor product non-compliance rate jumped to 12.2% this year, a significant increase compared to 2019 (7.5%). However, staff remains positive as total retailer compliance did remain over the goal of 90% (92.6% compliance overall). Possible reasons for the decrease in overall compliance in 2020 include the break in checks due to COVID-19 and the wearing of masks by volunteers. The total number of checks remained the same and the difference in compliance rates was determined to be statistically significant, discounting potential claims by retailers that the yearly change is due to chance.
In Lancaster County, 23 tobacco compliance checks occurred. The checks resulted in two sales to minors, one of cigarettes and one e-cigarette. The non-compliance rate was 8.7%, (91.3% compliance), which is significantly higher than the 2019 rate of 2.94% (97.1% compliance). Possible reasons for the shift in compliance rates are the lower number of total checks performed in 2020, 23 checks versus 38 in 2019. Other potential causes for increased non-compliance were the wearing of masks by volunteers and the large gap between checks do to COVID-19.
TFLC Launches Communications Task Force
If you are interested in joining, please email info@tobaccofreelancastercounty.org for more information.
Smoke-free Multiunit Housing Webinar
Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act
The Nebraska Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits smoking in a place of employment or public place. LB 840 adds electronic smoking devices to the definition of smoking, which prohibits their use in a place of employment or public place. The exemption for vape shops does not apply in Lincoln or Grand Island due to their local ordinances superseding the state law. Nebraska joins 22 other states in prohibiting vaping indoors. The new law went into effect November 14, 2020.
Tobacco and Vapor Product Minimum Sales Age
LB1064 makes it illegal to sell cigarettes, cigars, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), alternative nicotine products and tobacco products to anyone under 21 years of age . It also raises the legal age for use of those products. The law went into effect October 1, 2020.
TFLC Quarterly Meeting
Tuesday, Jan 12, 2021, 09:00 AM
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