ADPH seeking proposals to protect youth from nicotine initiation, exposure to secondhand smoke

ALABAMA (WHNT) — The Alabama Department of Public Health said it is accepting proposals to affect social norm changes around tobacco use.

ADPH said the proposals it is accepting are to collaborate with qualified organizations across the state to make a change around tobacco use and promote policies that protect youth from nicotine initiation and exposure to secondhand smoke.

The program anticipates awarding up to nine grants ranging from #30,000 to $75,000.

Successful applicants will promote community environments that protect elementary, middle and high school-aged children from exposure to secondhand smoke, educate students regarding the tobacco industry’s deceptive marketing tactics and promote cessation.

ADPH said grant payment will be on a monthly reimbursement basis, contingent upon the satisfactory completion of services for the period during which services were rendered.

ADPH is seeking applicants from governmental agencies and not-for-profit organizations that can demonstrate capacity in policy development, advocacy, community education and mobilization.

Organizations are invited to submit proposals for consideration by September 5, 2025.

This proposal comes after the department cited a study published in Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stating that children may imitate adults who use nicotine pouches and accidentally swallow them.

“Between 2010 and 2023, U.S. poison centers reported over 134,000 cases, most involving toddlers and nearly all occurring at home. Liquid nicotine, even in small amounts, can be toxic to young children,” the study found.

In these years that were studied, the report says there were 134,663 nicotine ingestions among children younger than six that were reported to the U.S. poison centers. The report also says that most of the children were younger than two.

You can find a copy of the request for proposals for youth tobacco prevention on ADPH’s website here.