Abbott Elementary Tackles Youth Tobacco Use and Prevention
A recent episode of the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary tackled an important issue: youth tobacco use.
When classes are interrupted after the fire alarm is triggered by a student smoking in the bathroom, the teachers and staff of Abbott Elementary must find an effective way to help their young students avoid tobacco and other substances – and they learn what not to do along the way.
Abbott Elementary taught audiences four important truths about prevention:
- Menthol and flavors have attracted generations of smokers. The student wasn’t smoking just any cigarette – he was smoking a menthol cigarette. One teacher said the smell took her back to her own adolescence, illustrating how persistently popular menthol cigarettes have been for generations and their role in attracting new smokers.
Today, with sales of traditional cigarettes declining, the tobacco industry has revamped menthol’s legacy with e-cigarettes that come in appealing flavors. - Cigarettes are not a problem of the past. The staff of Abbott Elementary were surprised to find that they had “forgotten smoking,” not naming cigarettes as explicitly forbidden in school policies and signage. “So many new hazards have come out that we forgot to put cigarettes on the ban list,” mused teacher Janine.
While e-cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products have exploded in popularity recently, we cannot forget that traditional cigarettes still pose a danger to youth: the 2021 Virginia Youth Survey found that 4.4% of high schoolers smoke cigarettes or cigars. This illustrates why prevention work is so important, year after year. As each new generation of youth grows up and is exposed to substances, they must be equipped with the information and resources they need to make healthy choices. - Prevention programs that aren’t evidence-based and evidence-informed are ineffective. The school attempted to address the cigarette incident with an assembly by a D.A.R.E.-esque program called F.A.D.E. It confused the kids with its odd blend of a hardline, zero-tolerance approach to substances and cringeworthy attempts to be cool. The assembly devolved into chaos as the students questioned whether it’s ever okay for the adults in their lives to use substances, even prescription medications. FADE failed because its approach was not rooted in evidence.Prevention work is more than just having a conversation with youth; prevention work is education.VFHY is proud to offer nicotine and fentanyl use prevention lessons, a free, evidence-based and -informed resource for teachers.
- Take a look at “zero tolerance policies” in 2024. The school instituted a zero-tolerance policy on using or even discussing substances. However, the teachers feel uncomfortable with this overcorrection when they realize it means they must suspend the student who was caught smoking. Two teachers had a candid conversation with the student and found that he wasn’t a frequent smoker – he tried one cigarette out of curiosity, didn’t like it, and promised not to try again.
VFHY supports programs that offer alternatives to out-of-school suspension. VFHY youth tobacco use prevention grantees can choose to implement Healthy Futures which offers education and support to students found using nicotine and cannabis products.
