Local Youth & Tobacco Control Representatives Address Tobacco Industry

Reality Check youth and tobacco control representatives from the Tobacco Action Coalition of L.I. and the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health met with Senator Murray and Assemblymen Ramos and Burroughs during a recent visit to the state Capitol, and locally with Senators Martins, Palumbo, Mattera, Bynoe, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and Assemblymembers Ra and Blumencranz.
They discussed the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing, which attracts and addicts young people in our community while also interfering with successful quitting attempts. Brentwood Freshman Center Reality Check Youth Jianis Montero stated, “The truth is, Big Tobacco doesn’t care about us. They care about profits. They see young people as replacements for the customers they lose to disease and death. But we are not replacements. We are the generation that will put an end to their manipulation. We are raising awareness, educating our communities, and standing up to Big Tobacco’s harmful tactics.”
Additionally, they also highlighted their local efforts with health systems to counteract the tobacco industry’s hijacking of the public health message. Adult smoking rates are significantly higher among certain demographic groups across the state—groups often targeted by tobacco industry marketing, leading to tobacco-related health disparities. “One of the deliverables for the Northwell Health Center for Tobacco Control grant is to train and educate healthcare providers about tobacco use disorders while implementing policies to support all patients. Healthcare providers should have access to the appropriate tools and treatment plans to assist patients who want to quit using tobacco,” said Christine Fardellone, DNP, RN, at Northwell Health Center for Tobacco Control.
For every $1 invested in the NYS Tobacco Control Program, New York achieves a $15 reduction in smoking-related health care costs.
Despite the NYS Tobacco Control Program’s (TCP) demonstrated success and identified unmet needs, the state’s funding for the TCP is just 2% of the state’s annual tobacco revenue from tobacco product excise tax ($1.03B) and Master Settlement Agreement funds ($764M). The CDC recommends New York State spend $203 million on tobacco control annually, whereas the state spends $34.8 million, just 17% of the CDC’s recommendation. Learn more: The Economic Reality of Tobacco in New York State and The Human Cost of Tobacco in New York State.
Surgeon General: Adult smoking is down, but rates remain high among some demographic groups.
While the adult cigarette smoking rate in New York State has dropped dramatically since the inception of the NYS Tobacco Control Program in 2000, from 23.2% in 2001 to 11.3% in 2022, smoking rates among certain demographic groups remain high. According to the recently released U.S. Surgeon General’s Report: Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities, the tobacco industry disproportionately targets various population groups with industry marketing and other industry tactics.
Smoking rates are highest among New York adults with an annual household income of less than $25,000 (18.4%) and adults reporting frequent mental distress (18.4%). Additionally, some groups often experience barriers to screening, referral and treatment for nicotine dependence and related health issues. These data demonstrate clear disparities in tobacco use and tobacco-related health outcomes in New York State.
During legislative meetings, tobacco control representatives shared with lawmakers that many communities have protected their kids and families by reducing tobacco marketing and keeping stores that sell commercial tobacco products away from schools, community centers and other youth-oriented public spaces, for example. And many regional health systems around the state have integrated tobacco screening as a regular part of patient visits—helping to ensure no groups are excluded from the latest, most effective treatments for ending nicotine dependency.
NYS youth vape/e-cigarette use rate drops but remains perilously high at nearly 1 in 5 .
The tobacco industry’s e-cigarette/vape marketing in the past decade has successfully attracted and addicted young people in our communities. In 2018, New York high school student vaping/e-cigarette use peaked at 27.4%. In the years since, the rate has declined and in 2022, the year with the latest data, nearly 1 in 5 (18.7%) of high school students across the state reported vaping nicotine compared to a record low of about 1 in 50 (2.1%) who reported smoking cigarettes in 2022. Nicotine is particularly dangerous for youth and young adults. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain and increase the risk for future addiction to other drugs.
Targeted menthol marketing perpetuates tobacco use disparities and health disparities.
According to the Surgeon General, the tobacco industry has designed, engineered and marketed menthol cigarettes and other tobacco products that deliver multisensory flavor experiences which increase the likelihood of tobacco initiation, addiction and sustained use. While fewer people now smoke cigarettes than in recent decades, the proportion of menthol use among people who use tobacco products has increased.
Menthol cigarettes are a significant risk to public health and advancing health equity. According to 2021 and 2022 data, the latest available, menthol cigarette use was highest among New York adults who identify as Black or African American (88%) and those who identify as Hispanic (70%). Learn more about tobacco industry menthol marketing tactics and its impact at NotJustMenthol.org.
For help quitting smoking or vaping, including coaching, support and medication, the New York State Department of Health encourages all those who live in New York State to talk to a doctor or other healthcare professional and contact the New York State Quitline. The Quitline offers free, personalized and confidential services seven days a week by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487), visiting nysmokefree.com or texting either QUITNOW (English) or DÉJELO YA NY (Spanish) to 333888.
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Northwell Health’s Center for Tobacco Control (CTC)
As one of the nine NYS DOH Bureau of Tobacco Control’s Health Systems for a Tobacco-Free NY contractors, the Center for Tobacco Control targets and works with health care organizations across the region that serve high priority population groups disproportionately affected by tobacco including patients with low income, low educational attainment, and/or those with serious mental illness. The CTC engages health care organizational leaders to improve systems and policy changes that result in clinicians consistently addressing and treating their patients for tobacco use.

The Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island
The Tobacco Action Coalition of LI is one of 21 Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities grants funded by the NYS DOH’s Bureau of Tobacco Control and administered by the American Lung Association. Our grant is comprised of a community engagement and youth action component, Reality Check, working collaboratively to promote environments open to creating a tobacco-free norm as well as educating and empowering our youth to become change agents within their communities.

The NYS Tobacco Control Program
The New York State Tobacco Control Program works to reduce tobacco-related illness, disability and death and to alleviate the social and economic burden caused by tobacco use in the state. Local tobacco control representatives funded by the NYS Dept. of Health include Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities and Health Systems for a Tobacco-Free New York.