Alameda Unified School District works with Alameda County Office of Education and other partnering public agencies to discourage tobacco use by AUSD students through our longstanding participation in local Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) efforts.

The tobacco industry has now targeted young people and vulnerable communities with tobacco products that mask the harsh taste of tobacco with flavors highly appealing to youth (including bubble gum, cotton candy, grape, gummy bear, and menthol flavors).

Research shows tobacco companies have historically targeted communities of color with aggressive marketing of mentholated tobacco products, resulting in disproportionate rates of tobacco-related disease and death (e.g., 95% of Black youth smokers, 61% of Asian youth smokers, and 58% of Latino youth smokers report use of menthol-flavored cigarettes).

Alameda Unified School District joins others in support of a citywide Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance to ensure tobacco retailers do not sell tobacco products to young people and to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products in the City of Alameda, including menthol cigarettes. AUSD also supports creating minimum package sizes and minimum price for tobacco products, as well as prohibiting the sale of tobacco in pharmacies or near child-sensitive areas.