Public health education & disease prevention for Lake County chaired in Polson, Montana.

Tobacco Prevention

Community based programs are the heart of tobacco prevention in Montana.  Montana’s Tobacco Use Prevention Program, under the Department of Health and Human Services, channels funding to 44 counties, 8 Native American Tribes, and  Urban Indian Centers in Missoula, Great Falls, Billings and Helena.

The Lake County Tobacco Prevention Program is part of the Lake County Health Department and its focus and activities are centered around four main goals:

1. To build the capacity of the tobacco use prevention community; or, to increase the number of organizations and individuals involved in tobacco prevention efforts.

By developing relationships and collaborating with other social service organizations, tobacco prevention information can be wide-reaching so that program goals are met with greater frequency and intensity.  This goal, of building relationships with healthcare providers, youth advocates, school personnel, the business community, tribal health departments, civic organizations, WIC and family planning; helps to close the gap with tobacco use disparities among certain populations; for example, women of child-bearing age, Native Americans and lower socio-economic groups. These populations are specifically targeted by the tobacco companies and, in general, have higher rates of tobacco use.  For more information, go to:  http://www.tobaccofree.mt.gov/.

2. To prevent the initiation of tobacco use among young people.

Christian Reese, sophomore at Polson High School attended the react Teen Summit in Helena June 21-23. Christian was voted the most “Outstanding Reactor” at the Summit.

Christian Reese, sophomore at Polson High School, attended the reACT Teen Summit in Helena June 21-23. Christian was voted the most “Outstanding Reactor” at the Summit.

This includes working with local youth coalitions such as reACT, changing tobacco use policies in schools and in the community, providing support to school districts to enforce tobacco free school policies, working to eliminate tobacco industry sponsorship of fairs, rodeos and other events, and providing training and support to school professionals to provide effective classroom instruction on media literacy and tobacco prevention.  The good news is that youth smoking rates are down, from 27% in 2000 to 17% in 2006.  MTUPP focuses on Montana youth via its community programs and works with the Office of Public Instruction and the DPHHS Addictive and Mental Disorders Division.

The youth empowerment group that works against corporate tobacco tactics is called reACT. In this organization, teens learn how to organize events and activities, all the while developing important leadership skills.  This youth group, which is not against smokers, chooses to fight against corporate tobacco and their aggressive marketing campaigns geared towards youth.  For more information, contact Bev Machacek at bmachacek@mt.gov, or at the reACT website, www.reactmt.com.  If you have a teen between the ages of 13 and 18 who is creative, would like to learn leadership skills and work with other teens on corporate tobacco issues, then reACT is the group for you.
This display illustrates how corporate tobacco companies clearly market to children, and is available for classroom presentations.

This display illustrates how corporate tobacco companies clearly market to children, and is available for classroom presentations.

3. To promote quitting among all age groups.

Includes the promotion of the Montana Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUIT-NOW) in all advertising and media efforts; the promotion of annual events such as the Great American Smoke Out, Through With Chew Week and World No Tobacco Day;  and reaching out to healthcare providers to help them integrate tobacco cessation into their healthcare.

When a person calls the Montana Quit Line, they are calling the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado.  Individuals can receive up to five free telephone counseling sessions with qualified quit specialists.  The specialist will determine the level of readiness to quit, help the individual look at patterns of smoking behavior, reasons for wanting to quit, the appropriate Nicotine Replacement Therapy or other medication if appropriate, development of a personalized quit plan, alternatives for dealing with stress and tips for staying smokefree.  Studies have shown that the combination of tobacco cessation counseling or coaching sessions, in combination with medication therapy, are up to seven times more effective than trying to quit on your own.  Getting support from family and friends is also extremely important.  Quitting smoking is the single most important step you can take to improve your health. Exercise helps smokers quit and stay smoke-free!  For more information on the Quit Line, go to http://tobaccofree.mt.gov.

4. To eliminate exposure to second hand smoke (SHS).

Including working with local businesses to educate and help bring about full compliance of Montana’s Clean Indoor Air Act(CIAA), which was implemented October 1, 2009; to provide education and information on the health consequences of secondhand smoke; and to celebrate the success of communities by participating in the annual Montana Smokefree Communities Day. The Montana’s Clean Indoor Air Act , first passed by the Montana Legislature in 2005, establishes smokefree workplaces for all Montanans.  Bars and casinos who applied for an extension in 2005, were given a four-year window of time to comply with the law, they must now all be compliant.    Because of the new law municipalities can pass their own smokefree ordinances, as long as they are as strict as the state law and now, even bar and casino employees will be able to breathe fresh air while on the job.   The CIAA recognizes that the right to breathe smokefree air has priority over the desire to smoke.  To read Montana’s CIAA, go to http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/MCA_toc/50_40_1.htm .

CIAA Website Information and How to Report a Violation

The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA), M.C.A. 50-40-115, provides everyone the right to breathe clean, smokefree air where they work.  Breathing smokefree air has many benefits, including:

  • Reducing heart attack incidence by at least 19%
  • Helping to eliminate a leading cause of lung cancer
  • Keeping employees from missing work because of secondhand smoke-related illnesses
  • Saving businesses owners money through reduced cleaning and insurance costs

These are some of the reasons why all Montana indoor public places and workplaces became smokefree as of October 1, 2009, including bars and casinos.  If a person or business is in violation of the MCIAA, they are guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fines under the law. On American Indian Reservations, only those businesses that are owned by a tribal member from the reservation’s own tribe(s) are exempt from the MCIAA.  For more information or to report a violation, please visit tobaccofree.mt.gov or call toll-free, at 1-866-787-5247.

Goals of the program are accomplished by, but not limited to:

  • Increasing the number of organizations and individuals involved in tobacco use prevention efforts.
  • Developing public education and media awareness campaigns.
  • Promoting the adoption of public and private tobacco use prevention policies, including clean indoor air policies.
  • Conducting campaigns to educate merchants about tobacco advertising, products and placement
  • Promoting enforcement of tobacco-free policies on school grounds through collaboration with all stakeholders, such as law enforcement, health groups, teachers, parents, and students.
  • Collaborating with individuals or groups, such as health care providers, business professionals, youth advocates and school personnel to provide evidence-based adult and youth cessation services, and to promote the statewide Tobacco Quit Line.

For more information concerning tobacco prevention and cessation, please refer to the following resources:

Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program - Department of Public Health & Human ServicesContact us:

802 Main Street
Polson, MT 59860

Phone:  406-883-7341
Fax:  406-883-7290
Email:  tobaccoed@lakemt.gov