Tobacco Control Legal Consortium Fact Sheet

"Many youth underestimate the addictiveness of nicotine and discount the health effects of tobacco use. Yet almost a third of all young people who become new smokers each year will ultimately die of tobacco-related disease. Juvenile offenders - youth detained or incarcerated in the juvenile justice system - suffer a disproportionately high number of mental health and substance abuse disorders, including tobacco dependency. Given the appeal and prevalence of tobacco use among these high-risk adolescents, the juvenile justice system appears to be one venue where youth could receive the tobacco prevention and cessation aid and support they need" (p. 1). 

Topics discussed include: 

• the prevalent use of tobacco among youth; 
• why high-risk adolescents are so vulnerable to nicotine addiction; 
• the difficulty in providing tobacco cessation services to justice-involved juveniles; 
• the types of tobacco cessation program that can be used in juvenile justice settings-non-residential or community based placement, non-secure or staff-secured residential placements, and secure placements; 
• and possible methods for reducing the use of tobacco by high-risk youth.