The County of Orange has committed a significant portion of its Tobacco Settlement Funds for tobacco use prevention and cessation efforts to the Tobacco Free Communities (TFC) program. Funds are provided by  the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, which obligates leading tobacco product manufacturers to pay substantial sums to participating States to cover the costs of smoking-related illnesses and other claims including unfair advertising practices and illegal marketing  to youth.

TFC is an innovative, comprehensive, community-school linked project designed to:

• Reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among teens (ages 15-16 years)

• Reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among young adults (ages 18-24 years)

• Reduce the illegal availability of tobacco to minors

• Reduce the amount of tobacco advertising

• Increase the number of smokers attempting to quit

• Reduce the number of residents exposed to secondhand smoke

Under the direction of the Health Care Agency’s Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP), three local non-profit organizations received funding to serve as Local Lead Agencies (LLA) of the TFC project and the fourth region is being served by the TUPP program. TUPP and the LLA’s collaborate in these targeted communities with law enforcement, community service departments, youth groups, faith communities, schools and universities, hospitals, healthcare providers, local businesses, and media to help achieve TFC goals and objectives.