Sonoma County Tobacco Use Prevention

The Sonoma County Tobacco Use Prevention program uses Proposition 99 tobacco tax funds to conduct tobacco control activities. The Tobacco Education Program conducts community health education to counter pro-tobacco influences in the community, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, reduce the availability of tobacco products to minors, and promote smoking cessation services. The program trains youth to educate merchants about posting age-of-sale warning stickers, removing self-service displays and reducing tobacco advertising in their stores. The Smoke-Free Outdoor Dining project identifies and highlights dining establishments that are completely smoke-free, and encourages others to adopt similar smoke-free outdoor dining policies. The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Sonoma County is comprised of community-based organizations that assist in the development and implementation of community tobacco control efforts and provide a united voice to respond to the tobacco industry.

The goal of the Tobacco Use Prevention program is to control tobacco use, reduce secondhand smoke exposure, and encourage smoking cessation.

Tobacco use in Sonoma County has been declining since the implementation of Tobacco Use Prevention program. The program has enforced compliance with worksite no-smoking laws and illegal sales to minors. Area schools have received assistance in writing grants and have received state funding for tobacco education. The program has made tobacco cessation services available to low-income smokers through scholarships, and created the Smoke-Free Babies project to provide smoking cessation support to women who are pregnant or have a child below one year of age. The Smoke-Free Outdoor Dining project has identified more than 165 participating dining establishments within the county.