Three courses on tobacco now required INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A tobacco use prevention advocate on Monday said Indiana’s new law on how schools teach about tobacco will help further reduce its use. Tucked into an omnibus education bill lawmakers approved this spring is language that require s schools to teach about the effects of tobacco “including tobacco alternatives and nicotine products.” State law previously required teaching about tobacco effects but did not specifically name those product types. In addition, schools now must teach about the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs at least three times: twice in kindergarten through 8th grade, and a third time in grades 9 through 12. The old law required instruction during grades K-12 but did not specify when or how often. House Education Committee Chair Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, said lawmakers made those changes to ensure children are better informed about the negative effects of tobacco products. American Lung Association Advocacy Director Tiffany Nichols said the new law better addresses trends in youth tobacco use as well as ways to reinforce the lessons schools teach at different points in a child’s life. “You want to hit them first when they’re often not even using the products, but they may see older siblings and family members that are using them,” she said. “Then you want to hit them again when they reach that middle school age and they’re beginning to experiment. And then, finally, you want to hit them when they’re thinking that they’re of age, when they should be able to make their own decisions.” Youth tobacco use in the United States continues to decline. In the FDA’s 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, published last month, just 7.2% of all students nationwide reported using any kind of tobacco product, a drop by nearly half since 2022. That figure includes 9.5% of high schoolers and 4.1% of middle schoolers. Electronic cigarettes, also called vapes, were by far the most used, with 5.2% of students reporting using them. Nicotine pouches were the second most common product, used by 1.7% of all students. Nichols said e-cigarette use remains a serious problem among youth because they are available in various fruit flavors that appeal to children. In addition, she said many adults still take up vaping to try to quit smoking. In practice, she said vaping has not proven to be a reliable tool for smoking cessation and many people end up using both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes. “There are evidence-based tobacco cessation tools on the market, your patches, your gums, that went through rigorous testing by the FDA, that are proven to help adults and young people quit using tobacco,” she said. “(E-cigarette users) often keep that hand-mouth thing that a lot of smokers absolutely struggle with dealing with and are one of the things that help them not be as successful in quitting.” Nichols said parents remain the first line of defense in stopping children from using tobacco. She said children mimic the behavior of those around them, so modeling a tobacco-free lifestyle is one of the best ways to ensure children don’t acquire the habit in the first place. If you or someone you know is trying to quit tobacco product use, Nichols said Quit Now Indiana is an excellent resource. Quit Now Indiana includes a texting service and access to free coaching sessions and free nicotine replacement medications for qualifying participants. ...read more read less