Education and Resources

Tools for Quitting

A lifestyle change can be a daunting challenge, especially when you don’t have the resources to begin your journey. Campus Health & Wellbeing and the Cal Poly Human Resource Department provides students, faculty, and staff the resources needed to adopt a nonsmoking lifestyle. These resources are here to support and empower those who want to quit smoking. As members of the Mustang community, let’s empower each other to create a smoke and tobacco free environment that allows us to live and be well.

Pharmaceutical Products Available at Campus Health & Wellbeing's Pharmacy

PULSE:

Peer health educators provide smoking-related presentations and provides educational materials on the benefits of a smoke-free Cal Poly and where to seek cessation services on and off campus.

Staff and Faculty Resources:

Online Resources:

Mobile Apps:

Smokefree.gov Apps: supports smokers working to become smoke-free.

Benefits of Quitting

Decreasing Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

• Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 50,000 nonsmokers each year.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found secondhand tobacco smoke to be a risk to public health, and has classified secondhand smoke as a group A carcinogen, the most dangerous class of carcinogen
• The California Air Resources Board has categorized secondhand smoke as a toxic air contaminant, in the same category as diesel exhaust
• Most recently, the Surgeon General of the United States concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, and that establishing smoke-free environments is the only proven way to prevent exposure

Eliminating Tobacco Litter on Campus

• Cigarette waste is extremely toxic to our environment. The filter of a cigarette is designed to trap the toxic chemicals in the tobacco smoke from entering into the smoker’s body. The small filter, when wet, releases the thousands of toxic chemicals back into the environment. These filters and chemicals are washed into waterways by storm water runoff.
• By eliminating tobacco litter, colleges are not only decreasing the cost and time associated with cleaning up tobacco litter and increasing campus beautification, but decreasing the fire risk on campus.

Changing Tobacco Use Behavior

• Comprehensive tobacco use policies (e.g., smoke-free policies) have been found to change tobacco use behavior in workplaces.
• A study published in the British Medical Journal (2002) concluded that tobacco users who worked in a completely smoke-free environment were more likely to quit using tobacco than their counterparts working in areas without strong smoke-free policies. Additionally, individuals working in smoke-free environments were more likely to decrease the number of cigarettes they smoked throughout the day.
• Smoke-free campus policies have been proven to decrease current smoking prevalence in students, to decrease the number of cigarettes used by those who continue to smoke and to increase favorable attitudes toward regulation of tobacco. These policies influence students’ perceptions about peer smoking (i.e. social norms). Students become less convinced that other students are tobacco users, and are less likely to use tobacco based on misperceptions about a high smoking prevalence among their peers.

Encouraging Students Not to Start Smoking

• Historically, most tobacco users started smoking or using smokeless tobacco before the age of 18. During the last 20 years, this pattern of new addiction has been changing. A recent study found one-fifth of smokers reported starting after the age of 18. Among individuals who started using tobacco before 18, regular or daily smoking was not established until the ages of 20 or 21.
• Internal tobacco industry documents support this belief and argue the transition from experimentation to a “confirmed” smoker can occur up to the age of 25. The college years have been identified as a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and transition into regular tobacco use.
• As students graduate, they will be transitioning into tobacco-free environments. In California, the majority of hospitals and K-12 campuses are 100 percent smoke free or tobacco free. Nationwide, worksites, college campuses, health care centers and outdoor recreational facilities are adopting comprehensive tobacco use policies.

(adopted from CSUN Website)

Messaging Tips 

As a reminder, please be respectful of people's choices. We acknowledge this transition can be difficult. Here are some tips when reaching out to someone smoking on campus after September 1, 2017:

• Be mindful. Reflect on your own thoughts and feelings before approaching someone. Do not attempt anything beyond your comfort level when providing information and support.
• Be empathetic. Show compassion and understanding when discussing the policy with smokers.
• Be respectful. Refer the person to the Cal Poly Smoke & Tobacco Free website for complete policy information and resources. If you do not feel entirely safe when engaging with policy violators, avoid further discussion or confrontation and leave the area.

Talking Points

Use the following scenarios and questions to help you discuss this policy with either a student or a colleague.