PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is looking to address youth marijuana, tobacco and vaping use in a contract county commissioners are considering during their meeting this morning.
The meeting is 10 a.m. today at the Clallam County Courthouse in Room 160, 223 E. Fourth St.
If approved, the county would receive state and federal funds to participate in a regional effort to address youth marijuana and tobacco use, according to the contract.
The Kitsap Public Health District would agree to pay Clallam County $50,000 in state and federal funds.
It’s a new program headed by the Kitsap Health District in partnership with Clallam County Health and Human Services and the Jefferson County Health Department, said Andy Brastad, director of Clallam County Health and Human Services.
“We’re really trying to channel our energies on youth use,” Brastad said in an interview Monday.
Among the priorities, he said, is for the county to address vaping. The contract calls on the county to work with the county Board of Health on implementation of a “no vaping in public places” ordinance in Clallam County and to work with the Parks Department to install “no vaping” signs in county parks.
Brastad said staff will recommend an ordinance that would be similar to one passed in 2004 that prohibited smoking on county property.
“It seems reasonable since we already have something on the books for smoking,” he said. “It will be up to the [Board of County Commissioners] or the Board of Health if they want to look further.”
The county would also collect data regarding tobacco-related disparities in the community and provide outreach and education to local health providers about the Washington State Tobacco Quitline, a hotline for people wanting to stop tobacco use.
The phone number for the state Tobacco Quitline is 1-800-7848-669.
The county would also share information with the Board of Health and Board of Commissioners about advocating that the smoking age is raised to 21.
The county would receive about $9,000 in funding for the efforts this year, he said.
In October, the Board of Health called on the Legislature to raise the minimum sales age for tobacco and nicotine vapor products to 21.
Nearly 90 percent of smokers started by the time they were 18, and tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in Clallam County and the state, health officials said at the time.
The county would also advocate for increasing the cost of tobacco products and reducing and eliminating tobacco product marketing that targets youth.
Brastad told commissioners Monday that he anticipates the program to continue to receive funding because a portion comes from the state excise tax on marijuana.
The funding provided in the contract is for July 1 through June 30, 2018.
He said that at this point work still needs to be done to develop a plan for addressing marijuana use among youth. Funds would be through the state Youth Marijuana Prevention and Education Program.
He said that work would be among the first efforts of the regional network.
“We are trying to address some of the problems in our county,” he said. “We are looking for ways to do that through funding that is available.
“This is a good start for us to do some prevention work.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
