Nicotine: cessation., the official text

An act to add Section 104391 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to nicotine.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee (TEROC) to advise the State Department of Public Health and the State Department of Education with respect to policy development, integration, and evaluation of tobacco education programs funded under specified provisions.
This bill would require TEROC to develop and oversee a statewide community education plan to translate, disseminate, and apply research findings from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program related to teenage vaping and nicotine cessation. The bill would require TEROC to develop a plan to identify and share best practices on effective, developmentally appropriate nicotine cessation strategies for youth, as specified. The bill would also require the State Department of Public Health to establish a pilot program in the County of Los Angeles, the County of Sacramento, and the County of Santa Clara to, among other things, implement targeted intervention programs for youth under 21 years of age who are addicted to nicotine and to prioritize developmentally appropriate cessation strategies over traditional nicotine replacement therapies.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
Section 104391 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
104391.
(a) The Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee (TEROC) shall develop and oversee a statewide community education plan to translate, disseminate, and apply research findings from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program related to teenage vaping and nicotine cessation.
(b) TEROC shall develop a plan to identify and share best practices on effective, developmentally appropriate nicotine cessation strategies for youth. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, targeted outreach and education efforts directed at all of the following:
(1) Health care providers and health systems serving youth populations.
(2) Community-based organizations that engage with youth, including, but not limited to, youth experiencing disproportionate tobacco-related harms.
(3) Local educational agencies, including school districts and county offices of education.
(c) The goal of the statewide plan shall be to ensure broad implementation of evidence-based nicotine cessation strategies and interventions tailored to adolescents, recognizing that traditional nicotine replacement therapies have not been deemed appropriate for youth under 21 years of age.
(d) In addition to the statewide plan, the department shall establish a pilot program in the County of Los Angeles, the County of Sacramento, and the County of Santa Clara. The pilot program shall do all of the following:
(1) Implement targeted intervention programs for youth under 21 years of age who are addicted to nicotine, using best available research.
(2) Include culturally responsive, youth-centered program models that take into account the unique behavioral, psychological, and social aspects of nicotine addiction in adolescents.
(3) Prioritize developmentally appropriate cessation strategies over traditional nicotine replacement therapies.
(4) Be implemented in collaboration with local health departments and community-based organizations with a demonstrated history of work on nicotine cessation in those regions.
(e) Funding for activities in this section shall not be derived from the California Healthcare, Research, and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (Proposition 56) or the Tobacco Tax and Health Protection Act of 1988 (Proposition 99) tobacco tax revenues.