Nicotine Free Business Program

Hello Business Owners! 

Are you tired of picking cigarette butts off your front walkway? Are you sick of having to walk through a cloud of smoke just to get into your building? We would love for you to join Carter County Drug Prevention to be part of keeping our city beautiful and our citizens healthy! 

Nicotine-free public spaces have been shown to: 

• Make businesses and organizations appear more “family-centered.”
• Create a healthy and welcoming space for residents and visitors. 
• Reduce exposure of children and youth to nicotine and tobacco use protecting their health and discouraging them from starting a potential lifelong addiction that is harder to quit the earlier it is started.
• Support individuals who are trying to quit nicotine use or tobacco use or have already quit.
• Protect public spaces from environmental degradation caused by littering of cigarette butts. 
• Cigarette butts are the biggest form of litter worldwide, release toxicants into the environment and take approximately 10 years to decompose. 
• Protect buildings, parks and natural areas from increased fire risks. 
• Smoke free environments will also produce more business because people are more likely to shop at a clean place. 

Gold Level Businesses:

• Allow no nicotine usage on or around their property at any time.
• Post signage stating nicotine free policy is in place.     

Receive from CCDP: 

• Recognition in CCDP’s quarterly newsletter.
•  Dessert Party for all the employees!!
• Press release to local media, recognition on social media, designation on Main Street website (if downtown business).
• Signage to post outside of property about nicotine-free policy and gold decal to display on front of business.
• Free cessation classes for any employee who wants help quitting ($50/participant value PLUS many insurances provide discounts with certificate of completion).
• Technical assistance to develop nicotine, alcohol or drug policies and procedures at any time.

Silver Level Businesses: 

• Allow minimal nicotine usage on or around their property.
• Post signage stating nicotine free policy is in place.

Receive from CCDP:

• Recognition in CCDP’s quarterly newsletter.
• Press release to local media, recognition on social media, recognition on CCDP website and in the quarterly newsletter.
• Signage to post outside property about nicotine-free policy and silver decal for display on front of business.
• Free cessation classes for any employee who wants help quitting ($50/participant value PLUS many insurances provide discounts with certificate of completion).
• Technical assistance to develop nicotine, alcohol or drug policies and procedures at any time.

Bronze Level Businesses:

• Commit to begin phasing out nicotine use throughout the next year.
• Develop a plan with CCDP for implementing nicotine free policy in phases.

Receive from CCDP:

• Recognition in CCDP’s quarterly newsletter.
• Press release to local media, recognition on social media, recognition on CCDP website and in the quarterly newsletter.
• Signage to post outside property about nicotine-free policy and bronze decal for display on front of business.
• Free cessation classes for any employee who wants help quitting ($50/participant value PLUS many insurances provide discounts with certificate of completion).
• Technical assistance to develop nicotine, alcohol or drug policies and procedures at any time.

If a place of employment in Carter County would like to make the public spaces immediately adjacent to their property nicotine free, we would like to assist the business owner in posting signage to do so. Even without ANY enforcement provision, research shows that this signage and our corresponding marketing campaign would deter nicotine use via any type of instrument or device.

If you would like to participate or have any questions please feel free to contact Sarah Sumpter- Sarah@cartercountydrugprevention.org or 423-297-1335