Connecticut State Department of Public Health

COVID-19 Community Levels Update, March 24, 2023: The CDC has listed all eight Connecticut counties in the Low/Green category as part of its weekly Community Levels update. People who are at a high risk for severe illness should consider additional measures to minimize their exposure to COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses. Visit the CDC COVID-19 Community Levels Map for updates.


Please visit covidtests.gov to request four free COVID-19 self-test kits from the Federal Government. Find a location that has a supply of COVID-19 therapeutics as part of the Test to Treat initiative here. The complete DPH COVID-19 toolbox is located at ct.gov/coronavirus.

Tobacco Control Program

Our Mission: To enhance the well-being of Connecticut's residents by promoting tobacco-free lifestyles and by educating communities about the economic and health costs and consequences of tobacco use. 

Our program coordinates and assists state and local efforts to prevent people from starting to use tobacco, to help current tobacco users quit, and to reduce nonsmokers' exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke and aerosol. The single most important thing you can do for your health is to be tobacco-free.

Tobacco Statistics & Reports – Read tobacco statistics, reports, and fact sheets in Connecticut. 

Connecticut Quitline at 1-800-784-8669Now is a great time to quit 

  • Beginning February 1st 2023, our CT Quitline is offering 8-weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) until supplies last.

  • Call the CT Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or www.CommitToQuitCT.comfor more information on free, available resources for CT residents.

  • For teens and young adults, text DITCHVAPE to 88709.

  • For the hearing impaired, call 1-877-777-6534.

  • Tobacco use cessation counseling and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved NRT medications can double the chances of quitting smoking successfully.

  • If you used to smoke, do not start again!

  • If you've never smoked – do not start!    

Did You Know?

  • Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

  • Electronic Delivery Systems (ENDS) come in many forms, and vaping is the most common form of tobacco used by CT youth and young adults.

  • There are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. Hundreds of these chemicals are toxic and about 70 are known to cause cancer in humans and animals, and at least 250 in secondhand smoke have been shown to damage health. Carcinogens have also been found in secondhand aerosol produced by vaping.

  • Heart disease is the # 1 cause of death in the United States and in Connecticut, and smoking is the #1 cause of heart disease.

  • Updated smoke and vape-free air provisions took effect on October 1st 2021. Expansions to the Clean Indoor Air Act for smoking and vaping are summarized here.

  • Vaping was labeled an "epidemic" in 2018, and e-cigarette use in teens and young adults continues to increase.

Food and Drug Administration Authority (FDA) over Tobacco Products 

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) grants the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. They oversee the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of these products to protect public health and to reduce their use by children and adolescents. The Center for Tobacco Products at FDA was created to oversee and enforce the Tobacco Control Act. The rule contains provisions designed to limit youth access to  tobacco products, as well as restrictions on marketing to curb the appeal of these products to youth.

Effective September 9, 2020, premarket review applications were due to FDA for review on many products including ENDS, certain cigars, and hookah products.  FDA has a one-year period for review of these applications; the first denial of 54,000 flavored products was issued on August 26, 2021.  The current status of their applications reviews is available online. 

Visit the FDA website to learn more about the FDA regulations regarding tobacco products. 

Additional Information:

Resources:


For more information, please call or email the Tobacco Control Program: 

Phone: (860) 509-8251

Email: DPHTobacco@ct.gov

Last updated March 21, 2023
 
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