Greeley Tribune: Progress Has Been Made, but Colorado’s Tobacco Challenges Continue

Colorado’s youth vaping rates remain high, and adult smoking rates overall have increased during the pandemic, creating concern among public health officials, the Greeley Tribune reported in a recent article.

Tara Dunn, a tobacco prevention specialist with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Prevention Services Division, shared that our state has made significant strides in curbing tobacco use. However, challenges remain.

Data from the Colorado QuitLine shows that about half of people calling the support line have been smoking more because of stressors created by the pandemic. The state and the administrators of the QuitLine are making cessation resources more accessible and offering quit support that helps people handle stress in healthy ways.

Although the youth vaping rate has decreased in the past few years, about one in four Colorado youth still vape, which is far too high according to public health officials. As part of its response, Colorado recently launched a new version of its youth-focused tobacco treatment resource with National Jewish Health, called My Life, My Quit. The free program provides 24/7 coaching via text, phone call or online.

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