Fighting Commercial Tobacco. Together.
Washington Breathes is a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals working to eliminate the harmful use of commercial tobacco and other nicotine products.
Improving Health In All Communities
Our Top Priorities
Restore Comprehensive Funding
Obtain sustainable funding to support comprehensive commercial tobacco education, prevention, and treatment programs throughout the state.
Improve Access To Cessation Treatment
Ensure effective, culturally and linguistically appropriate nicotine cessation strategies and support are available and provided to all who seek it – including youth.
Address Disparities
Improve understanding of the disproportionate impact of commercial tobacco products on specific communities and tailor support services/messaging to the specific needs of that community.
Support Healthy Youth
Support policies, programs, and funding that educate youth on the harms of commercial tobacco use and support them in cessation efforts, working towards a future nicotine-free generation.
Eliminate Flavored Products
Educate on the harms of flavors - including menthol - and support policies that expand flavor restrictions and bans to reduce initiation and disparities.
Restore Local Authority
Explain the harmful impacts of preemption and the benefits of local regulations that reflect community interests and solve local problems caused by sales and marketing of commercial tobacco products.
The Tobacco Industry Spends About $85 Million Each Year on Marketing in WA State Alone
That's more than 20 times Washington's state investment of about $4 million in fiscal year 2024 for prevention strategies and cessation programs to reduce smoking and vaping.
STAY UP-TO-DATE
Featured Issues
Fall Coalition Meeting for our Members & Potential Members
Washington Breathes is convening a coalition meeting on Wednesday November 20, 2024 for our members, partners, and potential members.
9:00 -10:00 AM Networking, Collaboration & Resource Sharing
10:00 AM - Noon Coalition Meeting
We'll have presentations and discussions about our priority issues to reduce commercial tobacco use, including prohibiting flavored tobacco products, restoring state funding, and supporting programs to eliminate disparities. We'll preview the 2025 state legislative session, including what the tobacco industry is expected to do. This meeting will also share about the coalition's development and explain different ways you can engage in our educational work.
Participate virtually or from one of our in-person regional hubs.
Registration is now open!
Meaningful actions to reduce youth commercial tobacco use
The coalition's Supporting Healthy Youth workgroup has developed a new resource to explain policy solutions to prevent youth vaping and help young people quit nicotine use.
Our Supporting Healthy Youth fact sheet focuses on two critical strategies: (1) ending the sale of flavored tobacco products and (2) funding youth prevention and cessation programs provided by Tribes, community organizations, and for schools.
The fact sheet also shares data from the Healthy Youth Survey that shows disparities in youth commercial tobacco use, as well as historical trends as e-cigarette use has overtaken smoking.
Find more of the coalition's position statements and issue fact sheets on our Policy Statements page.
Ending the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products
Our new position statement describes how appealing flavors and cooling additives like menthol increase initiation of nicotine use, make cessation harder, and disproportionately harm people of color and LGBTQ people.
The statement also outlines 3 critical components of an equitable and effective policy to prohibit flavored tobacco:
- All flavors, including menthol.
- All nicotine and tobacco products.
- Enforcement on tobacco businesses, not individuals.
Washington Breathes creates position statements that are aligned with Our Vision and Mission to help inform policy discussions. This position statement was developed by our Policy Workgroup and approved by our Steering Committee.
Eliminate Flavored Products has more information about the impacts of flavored tobacco and policy solutions.
Find more of the coalition's position statements and issue fact sheets on our Policy Statements page.
104,000
youth will die prematurely from smoking
8,300
deaths from smoking each year
27%
of cancer deaths are due to smoking
$3.26 BN
in annual health care expenditures directly caused by commercial tobacco use
39th
WA's FY 2024 national rank for state investment in nicotine prevention & cessation
October 30-31
WA State Prevention Summit
November 4
Quit Coach Training
November 14
School Leaders' Webinar: Youth Tobacco Use
November 20
Coalition Meeting
early January
Weekly Policy Change Learning Circles begin