Happy New Year!

We at SCLC are excited about what 2026 has in store for us. During times of uncertainty, it can be easy to lose focus on the present. However, I am reminded of a Soto Zen teaching: “The most important thing is simply to remember the most important thing.”

For us at SCLC, the most important thing at this present time is our unwavering commitment to reducing disparities in tobacco use by increasing access to tobacco treatment. While 2026 will bring significant shifts to SCLC’s funding, we remain hopeful that these changes will create new opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships.

Tobacco use remains disproportionately concentrated among individuals with behavioral health conditions.¹ In the face of challenges such as reduced federal support and threats to public health infrastructure, the demand for cessation services has grown. At the same time, evidence continues to affirm that quitting tobacco can improve mental health outcomes.

That is why in 2026, SCLC will remain focused on increasing access to tobacco treatment for adults and young people who use tobacco and nicotine products. Our approach is multi-pronged, encompassing training and capacity building alongside implementation science methods as outlined in our 5-year strategic plan.

Below, I will provide a brief recap of the past 6 months, along with a preview of opportunities for 2026.

SCLC’s December 2025 Reconvening of the National Partnership on Behavioral Health and Tobacco Use

In December 2025, we reconvened the National Partnership on Behavioral Health and Tobacco Use , attended by 17 National Partners. The meeting marked an important milestone, as it served as the final in-person gathering of the National Partnership, supported by funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. During the meeting, partners discussed progress from their respective workgroups, as well as the political, economic, and social factors currently influencing their work on tobacco cessation. The partners reaffirmed their commitment to re-envisioning the National Partnership as a model of civic engagement, collective action, and impact.

Below, we highlight the key accomplishments and efforts from the workgroups.

• Communications and Messaging. The partners developed a ready-to-use educational resource, “Behavioral Health and Tobacco Product Use” PowerPoint deck. The resource can be accessed here and is available for free use.
• Education, Treatment Resources, and Guidelines. Following a rapid review of position statements on tobacco policy and treatment from National Partners and other organizations, the partners are publishing a collective call to action statement that provides guidelines for optimal position statements on tobacco policy, prevention, and treatment. 
• Systems and Settings that Engage Priority Populations. Partners are exploring barriers to and facilitators of addressing tobacco use within the criminal legal system, working with National Partners and the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.

Cessation Resource and Toolkit Development. We anticipate disseminating an updated version of our toolkit for behavioral health facilities, focusing on intersectionality and tobacco use, in April 2026.

California Center for Tobacco Cessation

CaCTC, SCLC’s California-specific project, hosted several regional trainings in 2025. Through our Behavioral Health Regional Trainings in Shasta County (April 2025), Orange County (May 2025), and most recently in Los Angeles County (October 2025), we trained a total of 285 behavioral health providers. Additionally, we hosted two Tobacco Treatment Specialist Trainings, including one in October 2025, training a total of 100 individuals from 35 California Counties. Moreover, 497 individuals participated in our “Ask the Expert” sessions on a range of topics related to tobacco use.

In 2026, we plan to host a Behavioral Health Regional Training in Sacramento County. Stay tuned for updates on CaCTC’s plans beyond June 2026.

SCLC’s Robust Offerings for Webinars

In 2025, we hosted seven webinars, attended by 2,778 participants, on various topics, including the tobacco endgame movement, tobacco cessation across health systems, and the federal landscape of tobacco cessation. The recorded versions of these webinars are below.

• Building a System That Helped 300,000 People Quit Smoking
• Tobacco Cessation Under Siege: Industry Reinvention, Federal Setbacks, and California’s Lessons in Resilience
• The Tobacco Endgame: History, Headwinds, and the Horizon

New Developments for 2026

In 2026, our focus will be on addressing tobacco use and cessation in priority populations, including those with criminal legal system involvement and those with serious mental illness, as well as addressing tobacco, vaping, alcohol, and cannabis cessation among young people. We will continue to build capacity for tobacco cessation among healthcare professionals.

These developments align with our strategic plan, which focuses on education and capacity building, implementation and research, and community engagement. They rely on approaches we have been discussing, such as integrating Community Advisory and Lived Experience Boards into all aspects of our work, diversifying our funding sources, and strengthening measurement and collective impact.

SCLC’s January Webinar – Cessation Updates: 2025 Year in Review

SCLC’s annual Year in Review webinar highlights trends in tobacco cessation from the past year, along with key advancements and opportunities in addressing tobacco use among disproportionately impacted populations. The 2025 year in review will focus on three studies published in 2025 that examine nicotine product use and cessation efforts among adults and youth.

Daily or Nondaily Vaping and Smoking Cessation Among Smokers

Varenicline for Youth Nicotine Vaping Cessation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Nicotine Pouch and E-Cigarette Use and Co-Use Among US Youths in 2023 and 2024

It’s About a Billion Lives Annual Symposium 

The 2026 It’s About a Billion Lives Annual Symposium, will be held in person on Friday, April 17 from 9am to 3pm, with options for live streaming. This year’s Billion Lives Symposium is a collaboration among three UCSF Centers:  Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, and Multiethnic Health Equity Research Center (MERC).

The keynote speaker will be, Dr. Andy Tan, Associate Professor of Communication, Director, Health Communication & Equity Lab.

We will also feature research presentations from UCSF faculty and postdoctoral fellows in tobacco and substance use research, as well as winners of the Emerging Health Equity Scholar Awards.

Registration will open in January 2026.

On behalf of our team, we wish you an amazing, fulfilling, and productive 2026. Please reach out for collaborations, partnerships, or if we can assist you in your tobacco treatment efforts. 

References

1.         Gilbody S, Bhatt G, Muliyala KP. The Epidemic of Tobacco Harms among People with Mental Health Conditions. N Engl J Med. Dec 18 2025;393(24):2385-2388. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2500491