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Community Allies for Rural Equity

Who We Are

The goal of the CARE Project is to promote a tobacco and nicotine-free lifestyle for the residents of Dunsmuir, CA. Our program is currently focused on protecting our community from 2nd and 3rd hand smoke as well as promoting cessation for all tobacco users, especially our most vulnerable community members; and protecting youth and young adults from a lifetime of addiction by creating smoke-free places.

The CARE project is working to create smoke and tobacco-free outdoor spaces in the Dunsmuir area including downtown and all the recreational areas.

The CARE project is also supporting smoke free multi-unit housing because drifting smoke is extremely harmful. Not to mention the incredible damage and harmful chemicals that is left behind on all surfaces from smoking indoors.

How Can I Help?

Connect with us! Change takes a village, and everyone can help. You can support our cause by endorsing our initiatives, connecting us with contacts that affect change in our community, joining our health-focused work groups, and spreading the word about our initiatives.

What You Need to Know

California has been one of the Nation’s leaders in reducing tobacco use. While the smoking rate statewide is down to 11.3%, rural counties continue to have a much higher rate of smoking. The rate of tobacco use in Siskiyou County is 23%!.

Tobacco use disproportionately affects many marginalized populations—including people in low-income communities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBT individuals and those with mental illness—all of whom have a long and documented history of being targeted by the tobacco industry. Rural communities are also affected disproportionately and tend to have fewer policy protections from the promotion and use of tobacco products.

The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control graded Dunsmuir an “F” due to lack of policies addressing tobacco control. While local policy support has historically been low in rural communities, it is growing both regionally and statewide.

The CARE was launched in April 2024 to educate the Dunsmuir community as well as its policy makers on the benefits of tobacco control policies on the health and wellness of its residents and the economy.