US: Tobacco Look-Alikes Are Not Welcome

Source from:  NP.telegraph.com 12/03/2014

The North Platte Public School district in March approved a policy prohibiting tobacco products, e-cigarettes, tobacco product look-alikes and products intended to replicate tobacco products by appearance or effect on any district school property.

New signs are appearing to capture the changes that have been made to the policies.

Examples of tobacco look-alikes include candy that is shaped like cigarettes and jerky or bubble gum that is packaged to look like chewing tobacco.

The new signs were provided by Community Connections Tobacco Free Lincoln County Coalition. George Haws, coalition coordinator, said there are a number of reasons for schools to prohibit tobacco look-alikes and electronic cigarettes.

"Tobacco look-alike products glamorize tobacco use and can be appealing to youth," Haws said in a press release. "And when e-cigarettes are used in public, the similarity with conventional cigarettes can normalizes smoking behavior."

Many area schools have had tobacco-free policies in place for several years, noted Haws. Originally, the policies only addressed combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars, along with chewing tobacco.

With the advent of e-cigarettes and concerns about tobacco look-alikes, many policies are being updated to include these products.
Tobacco Free Lincoln County is a collaborative effort that focuses on keeping youth from starting to use tobacco, reducing access to tobacco products, and increasing awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke and vapor.

It is funded by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services/Tobacco Free Nebraska Program as a result of the tobacco master settlement agreement.

The NPPS policy states: "Any violation of the tobacco-free policy by staff shall be referred to the appropriate supervisor. ... Citizens who are observed smoking or using tobacco products in violation of policy shall be asked to refrain from doing so. If the individual fails to comply with the request, his or her violation of policy may be referred to the building principal or other school district supervisory personnel response for the area or program during which the violation occurred ..." Enditem