The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission
(HWTFC) was created in 2000 to receive 25% of North Carolina’s share of
the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. The enabling statute (N.C.G.S.
147-86.30 (e)) laid out the following as the Fund Purposes for HWTFC:
To develop a comprehensive, community-based plan with goals and
objectives to improve the health and wellness of the people of North
Carolina with a priority on preventing, reducing, and remedying the health
effects of tobacco use and with an emphasis on reducing youth tobacco use.
The plan shall include measurable health and wellness objectives and a
proposed timetable for achieving these objectives. In developing the plan,
the Commission shall consider all facets of health, including prevention,
education, treatment, research, and related areas.
Statutory Requirement: Develop a community-based plan to prevent, reduce,
and remedy the health effects of tobacco use among North Carolina’s youth.
HWTFC Initiatives that address this REQUIREMENT:
The Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation (TUPC) Initiative includes
grants to local school and community organizations; statewide organizations
capable of addressing the needs of priority populations and enforcement of
The state law restricting the sale of tobacco to minors.
· A statewide mass media campaign called Tobacco. Reality.
Unfiltered (TRU) educates youth on the dangers
of tobacco use.
· The Tobacco-free Schools Initiative has helped all
North Carolina school adopt 100% tobacco-free schools
policies.
· A statewide Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) provides
comprehensive cessation services to North Carolina youth,
young adults as well as those who influence youth such as
caretakers and teachers.
· The Tobacco-Free Colleges Initiative works to reduce tobacco use
among young adults and to encourage the adoption of
100% tobacco free policies on all campuses.
· Breathe Easy Live Well is a program that addresses
the special needs of people with mental illnesses who
are especially likely to become chronic smokers.
· You Quit Two Quit is a program that addresses the
special needs of pregnant women where smoking and
exposure to secondhand smoke represent dangers not
only to the mother, but also to the unborn child.
All of these programs are part of a community-based plan aimed at reducing and remedying the health effects of tobacco use among North Carolina’s youth and young adults.
