Nicotine Free: Empowering Idaho Youth to Choose a Lifetime of Health

Tobacco 21 is the common name for a federal law signed on December 20, 2019, that raised the minimum age for buying commercial tobacco products from 18 to 21. On July 1, 2022, Idaho became the 40th state to enact Tobacco 21 so Idaho’s law is now consistent with federal law.  

Tobacco 21 makes it illegal for youth to sell vaping and other tobacco products to other youth. If you sell a vape to a friend who is under 21, you have broken the law. Penalties for selling to anyone under 21 include a fine and potential misdemeanor.  

More importantly, this change can help protect the lives of the 30,000 Idaho youth under 18 who are expected to die prematurely from smoking. It can also save them from a lifetime of addiction and health concerns. This change could save your life or the life of one of your friends. 

• E-cigarettes & Vaping: What Teens Should Know – take a moment to learn more about vaping and the risks of using e-cigarettes and vapes.

These cessation programs are built for youth to help and support them in quitting commercial tobacco use and vaping for good. Learn more about helping youth quit. 

• Not for Me Online is a free, self-guided, mobile-friendly online program that leverages the N-O-T program to help teens break nicotine dependency and get free from commercial tobacco use and vaping. 
• My Life My Quit is a free and confidential youth vaping and tobacco cessation program offered by Project Filter. My Life My Quit consists of 5 coaching sessions by text, chat, or phone. You can call the dedicated toll-free number (1-855-891-9989) or enroll online through www.mylifemyquit.com. 

Tobacco 21 is the common name for the federal law signed on December 20, 2019, that raised the minimum age for purchasing commercial tobacco products from 18 to 21 years of age. Passage of this law at the federal level superseded state laws that allowed commercial tobacco products to be sold to individuals under the age of 21. Tobacco 21 made it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 regardless of a state’s legal sale age.   

On July 1, 2022, Idaho became the 40th state to enact Tobacco 21 and made Idaho’s law consistent with federal law. This change can help protect the lives of the expected 30,000 Idaho youth under 18 who will die prematurely from smoking. It can also save them from a lifetime of addiction and health concerns.  

The passage of Tobacco 21 in Idaho means that the federal law and the Idaho state law are now the same. You should know that there is no grandfather clause for youth who were 19 or 20 when the law passed. 20-year-olds can no longer legally purchase tobacco products, even if they could do so before the law was passed. 

Many teens buy their vapes and tobacco products from other youth who are also under 21. Tobacco 21 makes that illegal. Penalties for selling to anyone under 21 include a fine and potential misdemeanor. Talk to your kids about this today and make sure they understand the law. 

• Commercial Tobacco Facts | American Lung Association – Find out how smoking and other tobacco products affect your health, what’s in a commercial cigarette, how commercial tobacco use and the tobacco industry impact specific populations, and how to keep kids from starting. 
• E-Cigarettes & Vaping | American Lung Association – Learn more about e-cigarettes and vaping 
• Tobacco Basics (lung.training) - A free one-hour online course including five learning modules designed to lay the foundation in understanding the toll of tobacco use in the U.S. 
• Project Filter is Idaho’s statewide tobacco prevention education, intervention and cessation program available to all Idahoans at no cost. Project Filter offers educational resources for parents and caregivers about the risks of vaping, how to talk to kids about vaping, and a host of other resources. 

• Vaping: If you want to talk to your child about vaping, start here. Learn more about the health effects of vaping and how to start a conversation with your child about it. 
• Smoking: Many parents want to talk to their kids about smoking, but need help. Check out the Lung Association’s Tips for Talking to Kids About Smoking and prepare yourself for the conversation. 
• Supporting Youth in Becoming Nicotine Free: These cessation programs are designed to help to help and support youth in quitting commercial tobacco use and vaping for good. Learn more about helping youth quit here. 
• Not for Me Online is a free, self-guided, mobile-friendly online program that leverages the N-O-T program to help teens break nicotine dependency from commercial tobacco use and vaping 
• My Life My Quit is a free and confidential youth vaping and tobacco cessation program offered by Project Filter. My Life My Quit consists of 5 coaching sessions by text, chat, or phone. You can call the dedicated toll-free number (1-855-891-9989) or enroll online through www.mylifemyquit.com. 

• Commercial Tobacco Facts | American Lung Association – Find out how smoking and other tobacco products affect your health, what’s in a commercial cigarette, how commercial tobacco use and the tobacco industry impact specific populations, and how to keep kids from starting. 
• E-Cigarettes & Vaping | American Lung Association – Learn more about e-cigarettes and vaping 
• Tobacco Basics (lung.training) - A free one-hour online course consisting of five modules designed to lay a foundation of understanding the toll of tobacco use in the U.S. 

These programs are designed to help schools respond effectively to tobacco and vaping violations and help students quit commercial tobacco use and vaping for good. Learn more about how to help youth quit. 

• Vape Free Schools Initiative - If you’re an educator or community member committed to helping students navigate the youth vaping epidemic, we have programs to help you in your efforts. Participating in the American Lung Association Vape-Free Schools Initiative means that you are a leader in supporting students affected by tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, offering clear guidance, education, and cessation. Completion of the INDEPTH or N-O-T Facilitator Course training and Vape-Free Schools Initiative Policy Assessment Course will allow you to be recognized by the American Lung Association as a member of the Vape-Free Schools Initiative. 
• INDEPTH: An Alternative to Teen Nicotine Suspension or Citation | American Lung Association – The Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health (INDEPTH) is a convenient alternative to suspension or citation program that helps schools and communities address the teen vaping problem in a more supportive way.
• N-O-T: Not On Tobacco—Evidence-Based Teen Smoking and Vaping Cessation Program | American Lung Association – The N-O-T program is designed with teenagers aged 14-19 in mind and addresses issues that are specifically important to them. 
• Not for Me Online is a free, self-guided, mobile-friendly online program that leverages the N-O-T program to help teens break nicotine dependency from commercial tobacco use and vaping 
• ACT to Address Youth Cessation is a free, one-hour on-demand, online course that provides an overview for healthcare professionals, school personnel and community members working with youth on conducting brief interventions for youth who use tobacco. Based on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Youth Tobacco Cessation: Considerations for Clinicians, the session outlines the steps of Ask, Counsel, Treat, and provides guidance, support and best practices for effectively delivering ACT as a brief intervention for adolescents who identify as tobacco users, including e-cigarettes. 
• How to Help People Quit is a free, one-hour online course designed to enhance understanding of tobacco cessation, behavior change, and the interventions and treatment needed to help people quit for good. Participants will build skills in recognizing resistance to change, conducting brief interventions, using Motivational Interviewing, and learning about tobacco cessation resources and FDA-approved medications to help people quit for good. Become a lung champion by completing this course and helping to foster healthier tobacco-free generations and build tobacco-free schools and communities.