Important Dates
November 20 Washington Breathes Coalition Meeting
Wednesday November 20, 2024
9:00 -10:00 AM Networking, Collaboration & Resource Sharing
10:00 AM - Noon Coalition Meeting
In-person locations with virtual participation to connect us statewide!
Register now to participate! Registration Link
Please contact us if you cannot access the Google form for registration.
WHO: This meeting is for our current members, our partner organizations, and anyone interested in learning more about our work building a future where all people in Washington are free from nicotine addiction, disease, and premature death caused by commercial tobacco.
WHAT: 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.
WHERE: We're going hybrid! RL and virtual!
We've heard your requests for real life interactions. You can participate at a regional hub or remotely online. You can participate at a regional hub or remotely online. In-person regional hubs will gather in Anacortes, Pasco, Seattle, Spokane, Tumwater, and Vancouver.
Please share this invitation with your colleagues and networks working to improve health equity and community health.
November 26 A Deeper Dive Into Legislative Systems and Policy Analysis
Tuesday November 26th 1:00 - 2:15 PM Pacific.
This webinar is part of the WA Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program (YCCTPP)'s training series.
Objectives:
- Identify ways to educate community members and decision makers to support prevention and public health best practices.
- Understand coalition building in policy and politics: from defining policy problems to advocating for specific changes.
- Understand and use the policy analysis formula to assess policies and identify their contributions to the prevention system related to policy.
Kristen Haley Public Health Education Liaison, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board
Harrison Fontaine Policy and Program Manager - Cannabis subject matter expert and legislative lead for the SUD Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Section of DBHR for the Washington State Health Care Authority
December 10 Skills & Tips for Understanding the WA State Legislative Session
December 10th Noon - 1 PM Zoom virtual workshop
This Policy Change Learning Circle session is for our coalition members and partners who are new to following state legislative developments, and for those who’d like a refresher.
We’ll overview the 2025 session schedule to understand the complete legislative process from bill introduction to final passage to the Governor’s signature.
This session will give you the tools to understand how to:
- Track bills and view hearings.
- Read bills to understand changes or additions to existing laws.
- Follow the budget process.
- Identify your legislators and members of key committees.
- Engage in policy change education to share your perspective and expertise, without crossing into lobbying.
All questions about the sometimes mysterious legislative process are welcome!
December 12 Dual Tobacco Use
Thursday December 12th 11:00 AM - Noon Pacific
This training is part of the WA Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program (YCCTPP)'s training series.
Jeremy Finazzo, LCSWA, LCASA, UNC Tobacco Treatment Program
Despite overall declining trends in recent national smoking rates, youth and other populations of individuals continue to engage in alternative tobacco-product use. Dual and poly-tobacco use can present increased risks to mortality and are a common phenomenon for individuals both new to tobacco use, and who have a pre-established history of tobacco use and are motivated to change. Dual use is not an effective way to safeguard health outcomes. This session will describe the common trends of populations using cigarettes and other tobacco products, discuss the health risks associated with dual and poly tobacco-use, and provide instruction on interviewing skills to educate clients on the misconceptions of alternative tobacco products as standardized tools for smoking cessation.
Learning Objectives:
1. Determine common populations of dual tobacco users, such as youth starting electronic cigarette use and transitioning into combustible tobacco products, and common trends or features that impact the likelihood of different groups to begin dual tobacco use.
2. Describe the observed mortality risks of dual tobacco use patterns, and determine the impact of non-combustible tobacco products on cigarette use and associated health risks.
3. Discuss common misconceptions and myths regarding electronic cigarettes and other alternative tobacco products (ZYN, QuitGo™, etc.) as researched and standard-of-care methods for smoking cessation.
4. Develop interviewing strategies for accurately identifying dual tobacco use and advising against the mortality risks of dual use while conducting an assessment with a client.
December 12 Quit Coach Training
Thursday December 12th 1:00 - 2:00 PM Pacific
The Quit Coach training is designed for adults who want to coach a youth or another adult on how to quit using commercial tobacco or vaping products. The training is for one hour.
Trainer: Amanda Dugger, Health Program Specialist for the Youth Cannabis & Commercial Tobacco Program at Spokane Regional Health District
You will engage with the following information and activities:
- Data on youth & adult use of commercial tobacco products.
- The evolution of vaping products.
- The effects of nicotine on the brain.
- The key concepts of motivational interviewing through decision tree.
- Interactive zoom activities.
- Q & A session
Completing the quit coach training qualifies for one (1) hour of PSCBW Drug Education.
December 17 State of Vape Disposal in Our Schools
Tuesday December 17, 2024 11:00 - 11:45 AM Pacific
Chris Jury and Rahma Iqbal NW Educational Service District 189
Rahma and Chris will briefly discuss the different current strategies for the disposal of vape devices in regional schools. They will also look at several options that represent cost savings and/or more environmentally friendly disposal methods and facilitate conversation/ Q and A about what professionals are seeing, state-wide. Their hope is to identify a path forward that balances responsible disposal, costs and simplicity.
January 13th Washington State Legislative Session Starts
Monday January 13th.
The WA State Legislature convenes for a long 105-day session that begins a new two-year cycle. The 2025 session will include development of the FY 2026-2027 state budget.
Learn more about the WA State Legislature on our Policy Change Toolkit page
ONGOING Commercial Tobacco Policy Change Learning Circles
Weekly sessions beginning the second week of January through the end of April. Probably Tuesdays Noon - 1 PM, however we will set the date to avoid conflicts with key legislative committee meetings.
We meet weekly during the state legislative session to track, analyze, and discuss commercial tobacco legislation and budget items. We also share ideas about how to engage in Policy Change Education to inform policymakers about the commercial tobacco issues they are grappling with. Signing up for these sessions includes receiving our weekly legislative update emails.
Our Policy Change Learning Circles are for all our members and partners who support Our Vision.
The overall purpose of the Policy Change Learning Circles is to:
- Increase our shared understanding about commercial tobacco policies
- Build our policy education and policy change skills
- Share policy change resources & potential educational actions
To join the Policy Change Learning Circles group and receive notices about meetings & email updates, please email to Margaret Shield, Coalition Organizer of Washington Breathes.
ONGOING Coalition Workgroup Meetings
Our workgroups on different areas meet regularly or semi-regularly throughout the year via Zoom.
Learn more about the Workgroups and submit an interest form to join from our Get Involved page.