Find the Winter 2022 edition of the Marijuana Prevention & Tobacco Prevention newsletter here. Read expanded articles from the newsletter below.
Regional Wallet Card Updates
Last year, as part of additional media funds that DOH awarded to some contractors, we designed a Youth Prevention Wallet Card to help us educate youth on marijuana facts, what to do if a friend is using, refusal skills, and behavioral health contacts. Unfortunately, with the limited time we had with this project, we ended up only making one card with Benton/Franklin County resources.
We printed roughly 20,000 cards (half in English and half in Spanish) and still have quite a few left over. Reach out to us if you are in the Tri-Cities area and would like some wallet cards for your coalition.
We are working with our ESD 123 marketing team to update the wallet cards to Identify at least 4 other regional areas that also serve our target population and provide different local resources (Spokane, Yakima, Wenatchee, etc.).
If you would like to help us with this wallet card project and are familiar with your region's resources, please use this link to add resource information. We are looking for 4-5 commonly used local mental health/substance use agencies, a youth homeless shelter, a grief/loss specialist, domestic violence center, local crisis line, and any other resources that are specific to youth.
Fall 2022 Tobacco Information Presentations
- On Sept. 15, 2022, a presentation was led by our partners at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: "Commercial Tobacco Policy Change Learning Circle: Menthol & Flavors, New Products, and Tobacco Industry Tactics."
- Presented by Brittany Grant, Advocacy Director for the Western Region & Annie Tegen, Vice President of State Advocacy
- Included 4 sections:
- Overview of Flavored Tobacco Products
- New and Emerging Products
- Overview of Federal (FDA) Activity
- State and Local Policies
- If you would like a copy of the PowerPoint, please contact Brittany at [email protected]
- YouTube video shared during presentation by Madison Langer, WA State, 2019 Youth Advocate of the Year
This session was presented on October 4, 2022 as an educational forum to understand what is currently being done to enforce state and federal laws. It featured a “101” presentation from Captain Daniel Rehfield and Lieutenant Lori Sigman, with the Tobacco and Vapor Enforcement Unit of the WA State Liquor and Cannabis Board, about their work. Some of our local health department colleagues also shared about their current compliance activities and/or retailer outreach.
Throughout the session, we looked at current practices as well as past practices when there was more funding available. At the end of the session, we discussed policy and funding changes that could improve the effectiveness and equity of compliance and enforcement. This presentation was packed full of data, including valuable comparisons of current to past years.
Online resources:
Activities & Promotional Items
Activities to educate youth attendees on substance use prevention at community events:
- Quick Prevention Loteria game with 3 to 4 youth to win a prize
- Letter to self
- Create own motivational cards
- Strategies on coping with stressors/mental health
- Square breathing practices
- Blowing bubbles
- Yoga exercises
- Games that can be used to teach prevention strategies ( You can buy prevention focus games on NIMCO nimcoinc.com)
- Spin the wheel and answer a question to win a prize
- Carnival games with prevention messaging
- Have a mini basketball hoop and youth will get a chance to shoot for the hoop and win a prize if they are able to name a prevention fact. Maybe have them hop onto YOUCANWA.org and do some quick research for themselves. Then they must share 1 thing they just learn for a chance to shoot the basketball.
- Bean bag toss
- Photo booth with Find Your Good props
Customize some of these promotional items by using the YOUCAN logo or Find Your Good information:
- Stress balls
- Color changing footballs or generic balls
- Journals
- Hand out with pencil/pen/color pencils
- Shirts with prevention theme/facts
- Coloring pencil tubes with sharpener (these can be given in conjunction with stress coloring books)
- Teenlink stickers
- Prevention Youth Wallet cards
- Goodie bags
- YouCan stress coloring, coloring pencils or fidget, wallet card and candy