Building Tobacco Control and Cannabis Policy Capacity and Partnerships in Rural California

In 2018, the Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center's (NCPC) Community Core established a partnership with two state, one national, and local nonprofit and community-based organizations (CBOs) to increase policy capacity and community involvement in tobacco and cannabis control efforts in a predominantly rural region of California. Using principles of community-engaged research, the Community Core expanded their partnership network and provided colearning and networking opportunities for local CBOs, local public health departments, community members, and researchers to enhance their policy impact. We organized four full-day in-person workshops conducted in 2018 to 2019 and 2023 to increase regional tobacco and cannabis policy expertise; discuss shared goals, resources, and strategies; develop policy messaging skills building and facilitate dialogue between different audiences; provide legislative updates and state policy engagement trainings; and discuss local successes and challenges. In 2020 to 2021, we organized and implemented six virtual webinars during the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of communications output, we established a message board with 183 subscribers from nine counties, developed an NCPC researcher video series, and trained a cadre of college-aged youth social media interns who posted hundreds of messages. In-person interactive workshops were found to be most effective, with social media and message boards having limited engagement. Our novel approach of bringing local, state, and national CBOs together enhanced the knowledge, resources, and expertise of each organization to optimize tobacco and cannabis control in our underserved region.