Amanda, Granite County tobacco-prevention staff, told the county commission and board of health on Tuesday that several state bills the program supported or opposed did not pass and that local outreach will continue.

The update focused on recent Montana legislation and local youth use of e-cigarettes. Amanda said SB 150 and SB 98 failed, and she described SB 390 as having closed loopholes statewide that affected e-cigarettes; she said that bill was signed by the governor on May 8. She told the group HB 494 and HB 149 did not pass and that attempts to separate vape products from existing definitions also failed.

Why it matters: Amanda said the county’s prevention work depends on state funding streams that have been the subject of repeated legislative attention. She cited a statewide figure—"$511,000,000 a year on tobacco-related illness"—and warned that the absence of an e-cigarette tax will limit prevention funding at the state and local level.

Locally, Amanda presented recent outreach and data collection. She said her team collected about 98 responses to a 30-foot smoking distance survey and that 77.6% of respondents favored amending the county ordinance. She also described recent school- and library-based prevention activities, upcoming youth leadership events and continuing education she will attend.

On youth vaping, Amanda summarized survey-based estimates used by local prevention staff: "vaping rates right now is at 24 percent" who report daily use, while a larger share admit using e-cigarettes less frequently. She told the board that the county’s historical success in reducing combustible-cigarette use among 7th–12th graders (from about 70% to about 7%, as reported in local youth surveys) does not yet extend to e-cigarettes.

Board members and staff asked technical questions about the data and about whether school physical forms capture substance-use screening; Amanda said she will follow up with school health providers and with the state prevention surveys (YRBS and PNA) to secure better local data.

Ending: Amanda encouraged continued local outreach and the county’s support for prevention events, and she said she will return with updated survey numbers and planned activities in coming months.