A lot has changed over the years when it comes to nicotine and tobacco-use at school. I am sure some parents or school staff reading this remember a time when teachers smoking in the classroom was the norm, back before it was explicitly clear how much commercial tobacco can impact an individual. When I was growing up, smoking wasn’t considered cool anymore and was something students and faculty tended to hide pretty well. That was before e-cigarettes and flavored vapes started coming to the forefront of the nicotine world. Unfortunately, now they are a main source of nicotine for students all across the country. Major changes such as that should come with major policy changes from school districts to address those concerning trends. Back in 2023, we worked with the New Mexico PED to make a statewide comprehensive nicotine rule a reality. You can read more about that rule here in our blog from a few months ago.

At 24/7 we believe that school should be a place where students focus on learning and becoming their best selves, not worrying about needing nicotine to make it through the day. To help make this a reality, 24/7 supports school administrators in implementing and enforcing new nicotine-free policies at their school. I will delve into exactly how we do that so that we can best support any district looking to make sure they are up to date with state rules around nicotine.

The campaign is founded on the following six components: First, a commitment to a truly nicotine-free environment: starting with school administrators and continuing through school staff, parents, and students. All parties must be on board to comply with and enforce a nicotine-free policy. 

Second, a comprehensive nicotine-free policy: as previously mentioned, the New Mexico PED now requires that every school district maintains a comprehensive nicotine-free policy. That means the use, distribution, and possession of all nicotine products are prohibited by every person on school grounds—including parents, visitors, and staff—at all times. 24/7 is able to offer help every step of the way with updating policies to be comprehensive. 

Third, communication: When people know the rules, they are much more likely to comply with a new policy. We offer resources that help you communicate your policy not only to students but to parents, staff, and visitors as well.

Fourth, compliance and enforcement: A comprehensive nicotine-free policy details the consequences for first-, second-, and third-time offenders to your school policy. It is up to school administration to make sure rules and consequences are consistently enforced. We have recommendations in our toolkit for progressive and supportive discipline that can be used by any district.

Fifth, cessation and support: Schools must provide referrals to cessation support services to support both students and staff who are found in violation of the policy. Often, nicotine use at school can be linked to an addiction and we believe in providing support for people to utilize when they’re ready. Our toolkit features cessation resources to use for this purpose.

Sixth and last, cultural competency: A tobacco-free policy must be aware of the diversity of New Mexico and how factors such as family income, gender, cultural traditions, and location contribute to tobacco use. We recognize that commercial tobacco and nicotine is the major issue, not traditional or sacred tobacco which have been used for thousands of years, and we recognize how different demographics can be impacted by tobacco-use. It is no secret that handling nicotine-use is a major issue in almost every school, but 24/7 is a great resource to make sure that every district in the state has the tools and resources they need to be a part of working towards a New Mexico where schools are truly tobacco-free. Contact us for any resources or help you need here!

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