Recommend Nicotine Prevention Education

Overview

Policy without education does not work.

Colorado State law requires districts to provide age-appropriate education on the effects of alcohol, tobacco/nicotine, marijuana and other controlled substances for students in grades pre-K-12. (Statute C.R.S. 22-1-110)

To effectively implement this statute, districts must educate students about:

The effects of drugs and alcohol on the body.

The physical, emotional, psychological and social harm that is caused by substance misuse.
The illegal aspects of substance use.
The importance of nonuse.

As with the other tobacco-free laws, local school districts determine, through policy typically coded as IHAMA (Instruction in Handling Alcohol, Marijuana and Addiction), how to interpret and implement Statute C.R.S. 22-1-110 based on their specific needs, and how to integrate tobacco-free education into student learning.

Local public health agencies may collaborate with district teaching and learning staff, intervention services coordinators, substance abuse prevention specialists, or health education department leads to support implementation. The appropriate point of contact will vary by district and school staffing structure.

Get to Know Colorado's Health Education Standards

Colorado’s education standards require schools to include tobacco and substance-use prevention education as part of comprehensive health instruction.

The Colorado Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards, organized by grade level, focus on personal decision-making across four core content areas:

Movement competence and understanding.

Physical and personal wellness.

Social and emotional wellness.

Prevention and risk management.

These standards emphasize building students’ knowledge and skills related to safe behavior, avoidance, decision-making, and communication, with the goal of helping students apply what they learn to make health-enhancing decisions about the use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, and other substances. They are designed to ensure that instruction is accurate, developmentally appropriate, and reinforced over time, giving students multiple opportunities to learn, practice, and apply skills beyond the classroom.

Local data and student needs should guide how districts implement these standards and prioritize prevention education.

Tools You Can Use

Colorado Comprehensive Standards for Drug Prevention: These standards are intended to guide how students acquire the knowledge and skills to make health-enhancing decisions regarding the use marijuana, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
Tobacco-Free Schools School-Level Policy Implementation, Education, & Enforcement Checklist: Reviews school practices that support prevention and restorative responses.

Best Practices

Effective prevention education is most impactful when it is developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and reinforced across the entire school community, including students, families, and staff.

It should be aligned with Colorado Academic Standards for Comprehensive Health Education and:

Clearly communicate the Tobacco-Free Schools (TFS) policy.
Explain the rationale for supportive, non-punitive discipline approaches.
Address current nicotine use prevalence and emerging trends.
Include information on both short- and long-term physical health effects.
Be culturally responsive and relevant to the school community.
Incorporate peer leadership and youth voice.
Use interactive, skills-based instructional methods.
Clearly describe available nicotine-free, mental health, and support services offered by the school and community partners.

Educating Students

Nicotine prevention programs for students should address the unique challenges they face related to nicotine use prevention and cessation including:

Peer pressure and social norms.

Social and environmental influences on nicotine use.

Emotional, psychological, and social impacts.

Positive social norms and protective factors.

Refusal skills and risk reduction strategies.

Proper disposal of nicotine products.

Student education should be:

Intentionally embedded across K–12 learning.

Designed to motivate and support students in maintaining and improving their health.
Focused on building skills for health-related problem solving and informed decision-making.

Accessible to all students.

Educating Staff

Schools should offer in-person training for school staff that includes:

Overview of tobacco-free policies and related health topics for all employee groups (teachers, aides, bus drivers, food service staff, custodial staff, and coaches.)
Youth nicotine use trends, prevention strategies, and available classroom resources.
Training on Comprehensive Health Education curricula, including:
- Review of content.
- Modeling of lessons and activities by skilled trainers.
- Opportunities for teacher practice and discussion.

Emphasis on modeling health-promoting behaviors.
Guidance on using consistent, supportive discipline practices.

Tools You Can Use

While schools can technically use any nicotine prevention education, they are encouraged to use evidence-based, vetted resources with demonstrated effectiveness.

STEPP Approved Education Curriculum: Visit the “Prevention Education Curriculum” tab to find free, evidence-based tobacco prevention programs, available languages, grade-level lesson plans, and aligned academic standards

Encourage Ongoing Student Learning

Students who participate in health education curricula in combination with other prevention and intervention strategies demonstrate improved health-promoting behaviors.

Tobacco prevention education should therefore be:

A continuous learning journey from elementary through high school, progressively building students' knowledge, skills, and confidence to be nicotine-free.
Reinforced throughout the school environment
Embedded within the broader curriculum whenever possible to strengthen learning beyond health class.

Learn More:

Explore how two school districts in Colorado have addressed tobacco prevention instruction.

Poudre School District IHAMA policy: directly calls out teaching about tobacco.
Garfield School District IHAMA policy: states they will teach about tobacco to the extent funding is available

SAMSHA’s Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults Toolkit: outlines effective programs and policies to prevent vaping among youth and young adults, challenges to reducing e-cigarette use and vaping, and program and policy implementation strategies that can be used to address those challenges.

Page updated

Report abuse