Tobacco Education, Prevention, Stop Smoking
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department provides education, prevention and stop smoking programs to reduce the use of tobacco products and the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
To reduce secondhand smoke and access to tobacco by youth, our department utilizes these education and prevention programs:
- We design and deliver educational programs to promote the benefits of cessation as the means to eliminate the harmful effects of secondhand smoke for parents with young children and child care providers
- We monitor public complaints of California’s law for a smoke-free workplace
- We implement programs to educate merchants, youth and the community about the harmful effects of tobacco and the influence of the media on tobacco sales
- We sponsor health fairs and maintain a lending library of educational resources
- We support law enforcement, monitor complaints and influence public policy to reduce youth access to tobacco
To help people who want to quit smoking, we offer these services:
- Free support groups and individual counseling to eliminate use of tobacco products and offer free nicotine patches to eligible clients
- Stop smoking services for pregnant women
For information on the Tobacco Settlement fund, please click here.
New Law Banning Smoking in Cars
Effective January 1, 2008, H&S Code §118947 bans the smoking of any cigarette, pipe, or cigar in a moving or parked vehicle while a youth younger than the age of 18 is present.
To read more about the law, please see the Smoke-Free Cars Fact Sheet.
Contact us:
San Luis Obispo Office
805-781-5564
FAQs
Stop Smoking Program
Q. How does the program work, how long is it and what is the cost?
A. We offer both group and individual stop smoking services. All services are free. The length of the program depends on the individual. Support groups generally last one week for five consecutive days and individual counseling sessions can go as long as six weeks, one, one hour session per week. Counselors will work with you to create a stop smoking plan that is customized to your needs. We also have counseling services that address smokeless tobacco products such as chew or spit tobacco.
Q. Does your program offer nicotine patches to clients without insurance?
A. Our program has limited funding to provide nicotine patches to clients who have no other source to pay for them. The client must be participating in the stop smoking program to obtain the patch.
Q. Are there stop smoking services in my area?
A. We have services in all areas of the county: South, Coastal, North and San Luis Obispo.
Education/Prevention
Q. Do you have someone who can present a program regarding tobacco to my group, such as "Tobacco 101?"
A. Our health educators are available to make presentations on several topics such as Tobacco 101, Media Literacy - Tobacco Advertising Aimed at Youth, The Harmful Effects of Secondhand Smoke, and Tobacco Regulations to name just a few.
Q. I saw someone smoking in an enclosed area how can that be stopped?
A. Under California's Law for a Smoke free Workplace (AB13), it is illegal to smoke in any enclosed workplace, including restaurants, bars, and private clubs. Our program can send a complaint letter to the workplace where smoking has been observed. The letter will also be copied to the enforcement agency in the city/county where the workplace is located.