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Tools and Resources to Prevent and Reduce E-Cigarette and Other Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students

Please educate and train school staff to support this policy and tobacco-free school compliance by using the following tools and resources.

In 2018 North Carolina celebrated two decades of our statewide 100 percent tobacco-free school law, which was the major driver in lowering cigarette smoking rates among NC middle and high school students to historic lows. However, progress is eroding due to what the US Surgeon General has called “the e-cigarette epidemic among youth."

We know what works to effectively protect young people from all forms of tobacco, including e-cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars and little cigars, and hookah. Below are resources to help schools and parents deal with this new and growing challenge. Here is a list of Youth-Centered Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Resources.

A School’s Role in Reducing Youth Tobacco Use

Implement Effective 100% Tobacco-Free School Policies

N.C.G.S. §115C-407 requires that every North Carolina school district have a written 100 percent tobacco-free school policy that prohibits the use of any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, on campus and at school-related events for students, staff and visitors. Schools and communities should continue to educate and train school staff to support this policy and tobacco-free school compliance.

• Empower Vape-Free Youth Campaign from the CDC. These materials help educators empower youth to remain or become vape free.
• Materials from the Public Health Law Center.
• Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, How Schools Can Help Students Stay Tobacco-Free (2019).
• Effective communication strategies and enforcement protocols.
• Artwork to the current Tobacco Free Schools sign.

For students who violate the tobacco-free schools’ policy, we recommend:

• Confiscate and do not return the tobacco products, including e-cigarettes/vaping devices and e-cigarette paraphernalia, cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and snuff, and hookah tobacco and paraphernalia from the student.
• Use an alternative to out-of-school suspension. Find free, effective options in this resource list
• Offer cessation support to any student who is ready to quit. If your school does not have cessation services available, see cessation resources below.

Call in a Consultant

Your Regional Tobacco Control Manager is available to provide technical assistance on tobacco-free policy issues and to implement a tobacco prevention and control program, including e-cigarette/vape/Juul educational program.

The following free resources are available to your school and community partners to address the surging use of e-cigarettes/vaping devices among youth.

Implement Curricula

CATCH My Breath™is an evidence-based tobacco use prevention curriculum that addresses middle and high schoolers’ use of e-cigarettes and meets national and state educational standards. The curriculum is available free of charge to NC schools. Find other free and effective options in this resource list

We do not recommend tobacco prevention and cessation programs being promoted by or funded by tobacco or e-cigarette companies. Many past studies have shown such programs are ineffective, at best.

Engage Students and Parents in Solutions

• To engage students, teachers and parents in discussions about the dangers of e-cigarette use, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Scholastic, developed free resources for teachers.
• Teaching tools for Parents, Coaches and Teachers. The Stanford Medicine Tobacco Use Prevention Toolkit is a new, theory-based and evidence-informed educational resource created by educators and researchers aimed at preventing middle and high school students’ use of tobacco and nicotine products. The Tobacco Prevention Toolkit is committed to providing free tobacco/nicotine prevention materials to educators directly working with youth.
• The CDC has created bookmark-sized infographics on Juul and other USB-shared e-cigarettes in English and Spanish that are effective to educate teachers, staff and parents.
• The US Surgeon General has released and continues to update material on the topic of e-cigarette use among young people, as part of his 2016 Report.

Help teens quit tobacco

The NC Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch partners with three quit vaping programs that give young people options to get their support they need to quit successfully.

• Live Vape Free is a text-based program with engaging content for young people (aged 13-26) Live Vape Free also includes a program to educate parents and other adults about young people's struggles with vaping and nicotine addiction. Young people can text VAPEFREENC to 873373 to join. Concerned adults can visit Live Vape Free/Rally Health.
• Quit the Hit is a vaping cessation program for youth aged 13-17 that uses Instagram groups. Young people work with an adult facilitator for five weeks and support each other while quitting. Learn more here.
• The Truth Initiative® has expanded its quit-smoking resources to include a first-of-its kind e-cigarette quit program. To access “This is Quitting”, text VAPEFREENC to 88709. Parents or other adults who want to help young people quit can text “QUIT” to (202) 804-9884.

Youth Tobacco Cessation Palm Card, with QR codes for all three vaping cessation programs that really work!

Youth-Centered Programs and Resources (PDF, 1.45 MB)

Media Resources

The following posters, envelope stuffers, and newspaper ads that promote 100 percent tobacco free schools are available at no charge as a part of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund media campaign.

The posters, newspaper ads, and envelope stuffer below are in PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader. The radio ads are in MP3 format.