Tobacco & Vaping Prevention

• About 1 in 4 adults in Madison County smokes (24%), more than Arkansas (22%) and well above the U.S. (15%).
• 22.6% of Arkansas high school students vaped in the past 30 days in 2023, compared with 16.8% nationally.

Sources: County Health Rankings 2024; America’s Health Rankings.

The coalition received a grant of $80,000 from the Arkansas Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) for fiscal year 2021–2022. The grant focuses on tobacco education, tobacco- and vape-free policies and ordinances, building adult and youth coalitions, and youth leadership. The goal: prevent young people from ever starting tobacco or nicotine, and end exposure to secondhand smoke.

Projects in 2021–2022

• Anti-tobacco activities throughout the school year.
• Posts about the dangers of vaping on the MCHC Facebook page and in schools during events.
• Developing youth leaders in two counties to run activities on Big Tobacco, chronic disease, policy and peer-to-peer education, and to present to city and county government.
• Recruiting and training youth groups to talk about tobacco and vaping with their communities, local government and peers.
• Sharing Be Well Arkansas information with businesses in two counties.
• Building a plan to get community and coalition members involved in anti-tobacco activities.
• Conducting smoke- and vape-free home and car surveys around the counties.

The coalition received $63,000 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office (MISRGO). The goals of this grant are to:

1. Prevent youth from starting tobacco
2. Eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke
3. Promote quitting
4. Address health disparities

Projects in 2021–2022

• Partnering with coalitions in six surrounding counties to reduce tobacco use among youth and young adults.
• Helping more businesses and churches adopt a written tobacco policy.
• Promoting tobacco education in minority communities.
• Encouraging schools and businesses to take part in a wellness and prevention plan for employees.
• Raising awareness of tobacco prevention and quitting among youth and young adults.
• Helping young people become leaders in their schools and communities through youth-led activities.

• Tobacco 21: you must be 21 to buy tobacco or vape products in Arkansas (Act 580 of 2019, and federal law since December 2019).
• Smoke-free cars for kids: Arkansas law bans smoking in a vehicle when a child under 14 is inside (Act 811 of 2011, the Protection from Secondhand Smoke for Children Act). The fine can be waived for drivers who join a quit program.