The American Heart Association’s Approach to Advocacy
We advocate for federal, state and local policies that help to build healthier lives and communities, focusing on legislative and regulatory priorities that help to prevent heart disease and stroke risk factors and protect survivors across the state.
Join us as we Advocate for Heart!
The You're the Cure Network is a place where advocates from all walks of life can help us advocate for life-saving legislation right from their phone or computer! We need your voice to make a difference! Join us and register to be a You're the Cure Advocate at HTTPS://WWW.YOURETHECURE.ORG/JOIN
Historic Advocacy Victories in Colorado
2005 Increased the tobacco tax to help reduce smoking rates
2015 Secured funding to provide CPR in Schools training
2016 Improved the clean indoor air law to provide additional protections from secondhand smoke
2017 Passed one of the first Sugar-Sweetened Beverage taxes in the nation in Boulder
2018 Secured public funding to make biking, walking and other pedestrian infrastructure safe and accessible for all
2019 Repealed tobacco preemption laws to ensure Colorado cities and counties can enact strong tobacco prevention policies
Advocacy Saves Lives: The Tobacco Endgame
Colorado youth lead the nation in e-cigarette use, and while traditional smoking rates are on the decline, they are higher in Colorado than the national average. The ultimate goal is to end all tobacco and nicotine addiction in the US by first minimizing the use of all combustible tobacco products (traditional cigarettes and cigars) and ensuring e-cigarettes and new products do not addict a new generation to nicotine. Reaching the tobacco endgame in Colorado and preventing usage by kids and young adults require a partnership between public health organizations, decision-makers, school leaders, the private sector, and youth advocates.
Because of these daunting statistics, the AHA and our partners worked tirelessly during the 2019 State Legislative Session to remove language in existing law that previously penalized local governments for regulating the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco and nicotine products.
The American Heart Association supported efforts to empower local communities to reverse the tobacco addiction trend. As a result of the passage of the law, multiple cities across the state have adopted comprehensive policies that raised the age of sale for tobacco products, required businesses that wish to sell tobacco products to receive a license to do so, and prohibited the sale of flavored tobacco products. Additionally, as a result of the passage of this law, seven communities recently approved increases in the price of tobacco products by a high margin of votes during the 2019 election.
Every victory paves the way for a healthier Colorado. We now have over 20 cities with policies in place that are evidence-based and are geared to protect the next generation in Colorado.
You can help us achieve even more advocacy victories to make Colorado a healthier place to live, work, and play! Join the You're the Cure Network today and let your voice be heard!
hero_image_alt_text===
thumbnail===
thumbnail_alt_text===