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
Obtain sustainable funding to support comprehensive commercial tobacco education, prevention, and treatment programs throughout the state.
Ensure effective, culturally and linguistically appropriate nicotine cessation strategies and support are available and provided to all who seek it – including youth.
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 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.
Educate on the harms of flavors - including menthol - and support policies that expand flavor restrictions and bans to reduce initiation and disparities.
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
What are cessation products? And what aren't?
Nicotine is addictive and traps people in a dependency cycle, even when they want to quit. Nearly 70% of people who smoke want to quit. Of youth who vape, 68% have tried to quit, but almost two-thirds had no cessation support.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration reviews clinical data when it considers approval of a nicotine cessation product. FDA approved products include over-the-counter nicotine patches, nicotine gum, and nicotine lozenges. There are also approved prescription nicotine sprays and inhalers. Varenicline and bupropion are prescription cessation medicines that do not contain nicotine.
Tobacco Waste Pollution
The tobacco industry's deadly products are still the leading cause of preventable death in Washington and the U.S. They are also an environmental hazard: polluting our environment and forcing clean-up costs on to state & local governments, schools, and businesses.
Cigarette butts and their plastic filters are the most littered item in the U.S., more than 750,000 metric tons each year. The nicotine in oral pouches is toxic - a hazardous waste - and the synthetic pouches are not biodegradable.
E-cigarettes are not only plastic and contain toxic nicotine, but they have a lithium battery that can cause explosions or fires.
Preemption of Local Actions in Washington
Currently, Washington State's laws on commercial tobacco regulation - including regulating e-cigarettes - block local authorities from passing stronger or different regulations. This preemption creates barriers to meeting community health needs. For example, a city cannot restrict the locations or numbers of vape shops to reduce youth access and exposure.
Washington is 1 of only 5 states with broad preemption of local commercial tobacco regulations. 19 states have no preemption and 26 states have more limited preemption.
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
August 7
Healthy Retail Strategies: Countering the Tobacco Industry’s Influence on Retailers
August 26-28
National Conference on Tobacco or Health
September 9th
Tobacco Endgame webinar
October 1st
Washington Breathes Coalition Meeting