
Smoke- and vape-free parks save lungs, lives and the planet
The City of Schenectady became the most recent Capital District community to pass a local law that will help save lungs, lives and the planet by prohibiting smoking and vaping of both tobacco and cannabis in all city parks. Inhaling secondhand smoke from tobacco and cannabis, and secondhand aerosols from e-cigarettes isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a health hazard. Tobacco and cannabis smoke and vape aerosols all contain chemicals known to cause cancer in humans. For people with asthma and certain other chronic conditions, even brief exposure can have serious and life-threatening consequences. Cigarette butts, the most littered item in the...

Take Down Tobacco Day 2023
Today is Take Down Tobacco Day! This annual day of action sponsored by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, empowers people to stand up and speak out against the tobacco industry. Our Reality Check program teamed up with the SADD club members at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School to raise awareness about how tobacco companies try to attract youth with brightly-colored packaging, sweet flavors and inexpensive products, often selling them in stores near schools, parks, and playgrounds. We are proud to stand with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and thousands of young people across the country to say we've seen enough flavored tobacco...

Flavored tobacco products shouldn’t be sweet, cheap and easy to get
It's a consensus. Every smoker, former smoker and nonsmoker who stopped by our table at the Empire State Plaza concourse agreed that they didn't want young people to ever start smoking. Nearly everyone also agreed that flavored tobacco products should not be available to addict young people. One current smoker, pictured above left, expressed wanting to quit and was so passionate about wanting to prevent young people from tobacco addiction that he asked everyone who walked by to sign postcards agreeing that "Tobacco products shouldn't be sweet, cheap and easy to get." In a few short hours, 36 people from...

Community Spotlight Testimonial: Rivquah Caldwell
Hear from one of our community partners, Rivquah Caldwell, about the harmful impact menthol-flavored tobacco products has had on her and her community. Stay tuned to hear more from Rivquah later this spring. To learn more about the impact of menthol-flavored tobacco products, visit our "It's Not Just" menthol campaign page.

CDTFC Attends NYS Tobacco Control Program Partners Legislative Education Day at State Capitol
It was a successful day at the State Capitol on Tuesday, as CDTFC attended this year's NYS Tobacco Control Program Partners Legislative Education Day. CDTFC staff along with Capital District Reality Check youth and our partners from Community Health Programs talked with state lawmakers about how tobacco control efforts have successfully decreased New Yorkers’ tobacco use and smoking-related deaths and disease. However, substantial unmet needs remain as 28,200 adult New Yorkers still die every year from smoking. Learn more here. View pictures in our gallery below.