Our Impact

In response to the 2019 youth vaping epidemic, the Tobacco Control Program launched a unique campaign to reach the teen audience and convey the serious risks of vaping. 

The Problem:

In 2019, youth vaping surged in the U.S. and in Vermont. Concerned that this uptick signaled a new generation of nicotine addicted individuals, the Tobacco Control Program worked quickly to create a compelling new brand and campaign designed to convey the very real risks of vaping.

The Plan:

Since 2020, Unhyped, Vermont’s youth-oriented anti-vaping brand and campaign, has marketed annual paid digital media to inform teens on the following topics:  

• The dangers of flavored vape products
• The harms of vaping to the brain and the body
• Deceptive vape industry marketing practices used to attract young users
• The signs of nicotine addiction
• The negative mental and physical health, learning and behavioral impacts of vaping cannabis or tobacco 

The Outcome:

Thanks to the Policy and Communication Evaluation (PACE VT) study, near real-time monitoring of Unhyped’s reach and impact was possible. The result:

• The Unhyped campaign was successful in changing risk perceptions of vaping and reducing susceptibility to vape in teens. 

The Health Department and the Agency of Education sponsored Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) shows that among Vermont high school students, the rate of current electronic vapor product use, including vapes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs, mods, e-hookahs, or vape pens, declined significantly from a peak of 26% in 2019 to 16% in 2023. 

For more on the Unhyped campaign, visit https://unhypedvt.com/. 

To reduce high rates of tobacco use among people with mental health and substance use disorders, the Tobacco Control Program (VTCP) partnered with the University of Vermont Center On Rural Addiction (UVM CORA), a trusted organization already serving this population in rural Vermont by increasing access to substance use disorder (SUD) and tobacco use disorder treatment.

The Problem:

Individuals with mental health or substance use disorders are often overlooked for tobacco quit support, in part because smoking is generally accepted as a crutch or coping tool. Dedicated to turning the tide on this trend, the UVM CORA program assisted clinics treating individuals with SUD by providing nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and other cessation resources for those also using tobacco.

The Plan:

Using research findings that support the use of novel approaches to treating tobacco use among people with co-occurring substance use disorders, UVM CORA distributed tobacco treatment quit kits to clinics in rural settings beginning in August 2021 Quit kits, which include information materials, lip balm, chewing gum, NRT and fidget tools, can reduce the burden of tobacco use in rural populations affected by SUD by combining tobacco cessation treatment services along with SUD treatment. As of March 2023, CORA distributed 1,012 tobacco toolkits via 57 interactions.

The UVM CORA team is also working to collect quantitative data on number of kits distributed in these communities, as well as qualitative data about the usefulness of the resources and services from individuals receiving these kits.

The Outcome:

Thanks to data collected by UVM CORA, the utilization and effectiveness of these quit kits can be determined. Through partnering with UVM CORA, VTCP is expanding on-site, quit-smoking services for all Vermonters with SUD or behavioral health conditions. VTCP has begun providing similar quit kits to other organizations who serve rural Vermonters not in SUD treatment with intention to see similar results as UVM CORA on increased tobacco cessation. So far, these collaborations have proved successful in helping many Vermonters quit or reduce their tobacco use.

802quits, Vermont’s go-to resource for free tobacco treatment and support, used financial incentives to encourage high-risk Vermonters to utilize services.

The Problem:

In Vermont, the rate of tobacco use among pregnant and postpartum woman is more than twice the national average. Among Vermonters with Medicaid and those uninsured, the rate of tobacco use is nearly 3x higher than those with private insurance. In an effort to increase quit attempts among these populations, the Vermont Tobacco Program developed a program offering financial incentives to individuals who completed Quitline coaching sessions.

The Plan:

In 2012, 802Quits began offering up to $65 in quit tobacco incentives to certain high-risk individuals. Thanks to the success of this effort, as of March 2021, the Tobacco Control Program now offers:

• Up to $250 for pregnant and postpartum woman
• Up to $150 for people Medicaid members and the uninsured
• Up to $150 for people using menthol flavored tobacco products
• Up to $200 for people with mental health conditions

Currently, Vermont is the only state to offer all four incentives.

Additionally, the Tobacco Control Program deployed a robust, paid digital media campaign to raise awareness and drive enrollment among the groups of interest, and to increase health care provider referrals.

The Outcome:

Between March and June 2021, financial incentives were given to 4 pregnant or postpartum callers, 30 menthol callers and 155 Medicaid or uninsured callers.

Additionally, this effort generated these results:

• Among pregnant and postpartum callers, the Quitline saw a 75% increase in calls numbers 1-5 and a 50% increase in calls numbers 6-10.
• Comparing this period’s data to the same period in 2020, the Quitline saw an increase of 16.8% among first-time callers and 6.9% for calls numbers 2-5, which suggests incentives increased calls.

For more details on 802Quits and its cash-value incentive programs, visit https://802quits.org/

Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Coalition leads a collaborative, comprehensive effort to inform, support, prevent and protect the Franklin Grand Isle community from the harms of commercial tobacco use and nicotine addiction. 

The Problem: A vape store opened in downtown St. Albans in fall 2024, exposing students at the nearby high school and career and technical center to enticing tobacco and nicotine product window display advertising, which can increase curiosity and the likelihood of product initiation among youth.

The Plan: Concerned citizens and advocates of the Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Coalition, funded by the Health Department Tobacco Control Program, asked the City Council for protection from the tobacco advertising exposure. 

The Outcome: The City Council solicited recommendations on model zoning policies for the community and unanimously passed a zoning amendment in May 2025 limiting the city’s future land use. Smoke or vape shops are now restricted to the service/industrial district and require approval with the development review board. Additional rules on signage and lighting were established, including limitations on window displays.