News Flash

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that local governments could institute ordinances that ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to people under 21, known as Tobacco 21 legislation.

“It’s really exciting because the Supreme Court clearly indicated that in an instance of local efforts to control tobacco, that home rule really does apply and does not conflict with state legislation,” said Vicki Collie-Akers, chair of the LiveWell Douglas County Tobacco-Free Living Workgroup. “It verifies with us that there is an opportunity for us at a local level to pursue policies that can address tobacco and prevention control among our youth.”

The Supreme Court ruling involved a legal challenge to the Tobacco 21 ordinance the City of Topeka adopted in 2017. Douglas County Commissioners in 2018 adopted a Tobacco 21 ordinance, and cities in Douglas County have studied the policy though they had indicated waiting on resolution of the Supreme Court case before proceeding. The court heard arguments in the Topeka case during a special session April 1 at the Lied Center of Kansas in Lawrence, and members of the Lawrence chapter of the Resist coalition attended and spoke with justices after the hearing.

According to Sarah Hartsig, Health Promotion Specialist for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, adolescence is a critical time to intervene when it comes to tobacco and addiction.

“We’re really trying to make sure young people don’t get hooked on nicotine early and they have the chance for their brain to mature and make better decisions when they’re older,” she said. “Tobacco use is really harmful for teenagers because the part of their brain involved with decision making is still developing and it’s especially susceptible to the effects of nicotine. Students who start using nicotine at earlier ages are more vulnerable to addictions later in life.”

Public health advocates, including with the Health Department and LiveWell Douglas County, have pointed to Tobacco 21 policies as a key measure to help address tobacco-use, including the use of vaping and e-cigarettes, among youth, especially because 18-year-old teenagers could easily supply tobacco to those younger. Data show that the issue of students vaping and e-cigarettes has become particularly problematic in recent years, but Tobacco 21 laws can help curb the epidemic.

• As of 2017, nearly 1 in 5 Kansas high school students use some type of tobacco product (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping, chewing tobacco).• Nationally, e-cigarette use rose 78% from 11.5% in 2017 to 20.8% in 2018.• 90 percent of lifelong tobacco users initiate tobacco use before age 21.• Communities that passed Tobacco 21 policies have documented decreases in youth smoking rates by 50 percent.• 23 cities and counties in Kansas have already passed Tobacco 21.

“Tobacco 21 is such a promising approach,” Collie-Akers said. “By interrupting the supply chain, you delay that age of initiation and decrease the chances a kid will become a lifelong tobacco user. Data from other communities suggests this works – that it has an impact on reducing smoking. Being able to implement something that has credible evidence of impact is an important part of public health.”

Collie-Akers, who helps lead the Academic Health Department partnership among the Lawrence-Douglas county Health Department and the University of Kansas, and Health Promotion Specialist Sarah Hartsig said they hoped any potential future local Tobacco 21 legislation would also address the sale of e-cigarettes and vaping as well.

You can watch this video on preventing vaping among youth in Douglas County.

Douglas County and eight community agencies now offer residents a new online resource for wellness and mental health. Livongo for Behavioral Health by myStrength, an innovative leader in digital behavioral health care, provides digital self-care resources 24/7, including treatment-inspired exercises, mindfulness meditations and self-care activities.

myStrength’s online tools promote emotional wellness, assist new and expectant parents, and help manage depression, anxiety, stress, substance use disorders, chronic pain and insomnia. The platform empowers individuals with personalized pathways incorporating multiple programs to help manage and overcome comorbid challenges.

Livongo for Behavioral Health by myStrength is confidential and personalized to each user and allows individuals to set goals and track their changes over time. The platform can be accessed from any computer or mobile device and is for individuals ages 13 and older.

“We are so excited to offer free and unlimited access to myStrength for Douglas County residents,” said Bob Tryanski, Director of Behavioral Health Projects for Douglas County. “MyStrength supports the whole person; mind, body and spirit. It builds healthy habits for sustained mental health and overall well-being. Most of all it offers friends, family, and community members the freedom to pursue personal wellness in a self-directed way.”

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department received a Data-Driven Prevention Initiative grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to help promote myStrength in the community.

Sonia Jordan, Director of Informatics at the Health Department, said due to stigma surrounding behavioral health issues, people can often be afraid to seek initial health.

“The availability of something like myStrength and the ability for people to download it to use on their phones means they don’t have to worry about that — at least for that initial step of trying to manage some of their mental health needs,” Jordan said. “They don’t have to get in their car and drive somewhere. They don’t have to have their car parked in front of a mental health center. They can start to access this treatment from their phone in private.”

Douglas County is providing myStrength free to Douglas County residents this year through a quarter-cent sales tax voters approved in November 2018 to improve behavior health services and facilities in Douglas County.

To sign up for myStrength, email myStrength@douglascountyks.org or contact one of the eight Douglas County community agencies, including the Health Department at 785-843-3060 or info@ldchealth.org.

DCCCA, a Lawrence-based agency that provides social and community services statewide and in parts of Oklahoma, began offering myStrength to clients, staff, foster parents and community members in 2014. Between November 2014 and April 2019, 3,241 individuals signed up to use myStrength. As of March 2019, 71% of users reported clinical depression improvement and 48% reported clinical anxiety improvement.

The myStrength platform evidences significant improvement in clinical outcomes that are comparable to standard care of treatment. These include 70% of clinical improvement happening within the first 14 days of engagement and 74% of individuals experiencing improvement in depression scores.

The Douglas County Behavioral Health Leadership Coalition identified myStrength as an evidence-based prevention strategy that they wanted to offer in Douglas County, especially after hearing about DCCCA’s success.

Favorable outcomes at DCCCA can be attributed to three factors:

• DCCCA’s leadership support of myStrength and full adoption into the clinical program strategy,
• staff usage as an integral component of their treatment flows,
• myStrength’s highly-personalized experience allows clients to engage in activities most relevant to their immediate needs at any time of day.

Douglas County and eight agencies are now following DCCCA’s lead. The following agencies now offer myStrength to their clients, staff and communities: LMH Health, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Heartland Community Health Center, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Heartland Regional Alcohol & Drug Assessment Center, Headquarters Counseling Center, Lawrence Community Shelter, Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Douglas County.

Electronic cigarettes, otherwise known as e-cigarettes or vapes, have become extremely popular among young people in recent years. The National Youth Tobacco Survey showed an alarming 78% increase in vaping from just 11% in 2017 to 20.8% in 2018.

It’s a national issue, but it’s also important to realize vaping is occurring among youth in Douglas County.

On June 17, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, LiveWell Douglas County, Lawrence Public Schools, The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence and the University of Kansas Cancer Center presented a public forum that included health information from a medical expert, personal experiences from youth with vaping, and a discussion about tackling this issue.

Don't panic if you missed it

You can watch this video of the forum, and you can also see this powerful video first played during the forum of members of the Lawrence chapter of Resist share their perspectives about vaping and e-cigarette use among youth and what we can do to stem the tide of this dangerous addiction.

Why this matters

A key part of the issue is though vapes are marketed as being less addictive and healthier than cigarettes, one Juul brand vape pod contains as much nicotine as 20 cigarettes. Studies show that 66% of teens believe vapes contain only flavoring and no nicotine, and in 2018, 1 in 5 high school students reported using an e-cigarette.

Nationally, 30.7% of teen e-cigarette users started smoking within 6 months compared to 8.1% of non-users, and 90% of lifelong tobacco users start use before the age of 21.  Exposure to nicotine during adolescence has been shown to increase risk for cognitive issues later in life, and research from Washington State shows that students who reported vaping and tobacco use may be at increased risk for other behavioral health issues.

In Kansas, nearly 1 in 5 high school students regularly use some type of tobacco product (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping, chewing tobacco), and 1 in 3 have tried an e-cigarette.  The prevalence of use combined with the lack of consumer information has led to a public health crisis both nationally and here in Douglas County.