News and Events
Tobacco Free Partnership of Gilchrist County Expands Efforts in 2025
September 12, 2025
The Tobacco-Free Partnership of Gilchrist County continues to strengthen its commitment to protecting youth and public health, drawing on recent survey data and past successes to drive new initiatives for the 2025–26 year. By working closely with Gilchrist County Schools, local health agencies, and concerned citizens, the Partnership is pushing for policy and educational changes aimed at reducing tobacco and nicotine exposure and usage among the younger generations.
Recent results from the 2024 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS) show that youth tobacco use, especially e-cigarette use, remains a significant concern in Gilchrist County. According to the FYTS, 7.7% of high school students in Gilchrist report current use of e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, a number that, while having leveled off somewhat, is still too high when compared to desired public health goals.
These figures mirror state trends in vaping and highlight how young people in our community are increasingly targeted, or influenced, by newer nicotine delivery products whose long-term impacts are only now beginning to be studied. The FYTS data (as statewide) further shows declines in experimentation with some older tobacco products but underscores the rapid rise of vaping among youth as a key challenge.
Building on this data, the Partnership is renewing its focus on adopting Online Tobacco Education Courses in the Gilchrist County School District. Traditional disciplinary responses to students found with tobacco or vaping products—while important—often don’t fully address underlying addiction or misinformation. Many students who use nicotine products are unaware of how addiction can affect physical health (especially the lungs and cardiovascular system), mental health (like anxiety, depression, and mood regulation), or the developmental risks posed to still-developing adolescent brains. The online courses being proposed are designed both to inform and to empower students—teaching them not just about health risks, but about the marketing tactics used by the tobacco industry to lure in youth, the unknown but potentially serious long-term effects of e-cigarettes, and strategies for quitting or avoiding nicotine addiction.
At the same time, the Partnership is joining hands with the Health Department, the Drug Coalition, and the Hanley Foundation to push for a county-wide ordinance making all county-owned parks tobacco-free. This policy campaign aims to follow in the footsteps of neighboring counties that have already passed similar ordinances and are seeing benefits. Supporters of the parks policy emphasize multiple advantages: promoting healthier public spaces; reducing the litter and environmental damage caused by discarded cigarettes, vape pods, and packaging; improving air quality; and protecting natural resources such as waterways, springs, and green spaces that are core to Gilchrist County’s beauty and tourism appeal.
This push is bolstered by past achievements. Gilchrist’s youth have already shown active involvement through SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) and other prevention programs. These efforts have helped strengthen school policies and raised community awareness around vaping and tobacco industry marketing. And community coalitions have increased, with more residents, parents, and local officials willing to engage in conversations that were once considered uncomfortable or secondary.
Finally, the Partnership is urging all community members to be part of the process—attend school board meetings, speak with local commissioners, and express support publicly. With current survey data serving as a wake-up call, and with the momentum of past initiatives behind them, Gilchrist County has a real opportunity to pass lasting policies this year that protect youth, preserve the environment, and support a tobacco-free norm for future generations.
