About | policysavvy

OUR GOAL

Hello there!

If you’ve reached the “About” section you’re probably curious about why this website even exists…right? Well let’s cut to the chase! This website was created with the effort to empower communities through education and creativity. At the heart of this project is a passion for health equity and a hope that every/anyone who takes a glimpse at this will be able to take something useful from it.

The website is focused on tobacco control policy because for long, the industry has targeted marginalized communities (ex. LGBTQ+, African American, Latinx) and not many are aware of this; that along with the living conditions of such groups has created difficulty in achieving optimal health. Policy is a powerful thing that outlines how power structures interplay, and under the tobacco control lens, can help eradicate tobacco-related health disparities.

We believe that local communities should be at the forefront of local policies that improve health and well being. Our hope is that this online tool will not only inspire you to participate, but that it will empower you to take the lead.

40,000 people die every year in California from tobacco use
441,000 kids alive today in California under 18 will die early from tobacco use[1]
$702,063,000 (million) in healthcare costs and loss of productivity in Alameda County due to tobacco use = $467 a year per Alameda County resident whether they smoke or not.[2]
17 types of cancer are caused from smoking. Lungs, trachea, bronchus, esophagus, oral cavity, lip, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, larynx, stomach, bladder, pancreas, kidney, liver, uterine, cervix, colon, rectum, blood/leukemia. Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body.[3]
2.5 million people have died from secondhand smoke exposure.[4]
7,000 chemicals are in tobacco smoke. Hundreds are toxic. 70 cause cancer.[5]
1 tree makes only 300 cigarettes. Smokers that smoke one pack a day, smoke one tree every two weeks. Deforestation is real. Save our planet.[6]
2,127,565 cigarette butts were picked up in 1 day from coastal regions around the world in the Ocean Conservancies International Coastal Clean-Up Day 2016. The #1 item.[7]
$611,200,000 (million) is spent in California every year by tobacco companies for advertising.[8]
8.8% of youth (grades 9-12) and 11.9% of adults in Alameda County smoke. 86.7% of stores that sell candy and mint flavored tobacco are near Alameda County K-12 schools.[9]

10 reasons why you should care about

tobacco

TOBACCO CONTROL

[1] https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/california

[2] http://www.trdrp.org/files/cost-smoking-ca-final-report.pdf

[3] http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/50-years-of-progress/consumer-guide.pdf

[4] “ “

[5] http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2010/consumer_booklet/pdfs/consumer.pdf

[6] http://cyanonline.org/earth-day/

[7] http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/marine-debris/2016-data-release/2016-data-release-1.pdf

[8] https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/california

[9]http://www.healthystoreshealthycommunity.com/documents/counties/Alameda%20County%20Data%20(English).pdf

About Smoking:

Did you know?

TOBACCO CONTROL

Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start before the age of 18. [1]
98% of smokers start by age 26. [2]
Menthol cigarettes only mask the harshness of tobacco smoke making it easier for new smokers to start smoking and more challenging for current smokers to quit. [3]
According to a 2010 report prepared for the European Union by a group of distinguished scientists, tobacco has a substantially higher risk of causing addiction than heroin, cocaine, alcohol, or cannabis. [4]
Most adult smokers, about 70%, want to quit smoking. [5]
On average, smokers make between 8-11 quit attempts before successfully quitting. [6]
The chance of successfully quitting smoking increases with every attempt. [7]
Combining smoking cessation medications and counseling significantly increases abstinence rates. [8]