Amy Brewer Leads Efforts to Prevent Tobacco Use in Vermont

According to the American media outlet Samessenger, Amy Brewer, coordinator of the Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Alliance in Vermont, has been passionate about improving the health of the community.

Amy has been in her current position since 2005, having previously worked in Wisconsin and California. She is pleased to work at the community level, building partnerships, and assisting in informing and shaping policies. She stated, "For me, there is no more impactful way than protecting people from the harms of tobacco.

Her mother successfully quit smoking, but her father passed away due to lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease caused by long-term smoking. She is currently advocating for a ban on the sale of certain types of flavored tobacco products in Vermont and recently visited the state legislature with a group of students.

The bill S.18 being pushed by the Vermont legislature aims to ban the sale of any flavored tobacco alternative products or e-liquids starting from January 1, 2025, as well as prohibit the sale of any mint-flavored tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, snuff, and smokeless tobacco) starting from July.

However, some people are concerned that these flavors may be appealing to teenagers, as their use has been increasing in the entire state and Franklin County in recent years. She expressed that raising awareness through anti-e-cigarette advertisements and her classroom visits is helpful, but she also understands why e-cigarettes may appear safer to young users.

While many younger users are particularly drawn to flavored e-cigarettes, especially mint flavors, adults tend to prefer more traditional types of tobacco, such as cigarettes. Amy also revealed that according to the 2022 Vermont Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, Franklin County has the highest proportion of adult smokers in the state, at 19%, with the proportion of residents determined to quit smoking dropping from 56% in the previous period to 43%.