High school students host events statewide to educate peers about tobacco products and policies that protect youth
High school youth throughout Oklahoma working on the CounterAct Tobacco campaign hosted lunch-table events at Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) partner schools and organizations for the first annual CounterAct Tobacco Day of Action. Members of YAHL, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, engaged their peers and community members in conversations about tobacco and nicotine products while raising awareness about the need to strengthen Oklahoma’s tobacco retail taxation and licensing policies to better protect youth.
CounterAct Tobacco Day of Action is a youth-led initiative focused on educating communities about how tobacco and nicotine products are regulated in Oklahoma and how policy gaps can make it easier for young people to access these products. Through interactive activities, participants were invited to play a web-based game that helps explain how tobacco retail policies work and why stronger protections are needed to reduce youth access.
“My mom struggled with smoking for a long time and 6 years ago she stopped and it changed her life. That motivates me to advocate for change because it makes a difference how much healthier you are when you are not under the influence of tobacco products,” said Macy Jordan, a junior at Ada HighSchool.
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, claiming more than 480,000 lives each year. Nearly 90 percent of adults who smoke began using tobacco before the age of 18, demonstrating why prevention and policies that reduce youth access to tobacco and nicotine products are critical to protecting the next generation.
“I think that through the games the kids really had to use decision-making and knowledge about tobacco products and hopefully it will influence their future decisions,” said Gabi Baeker, a sophomore at Marlow High School.
Through the CounterAct Tobacco campaign, YAHL youth are working to move the power out of Big Tobacco’s hands and back into Oklahoma communities by educating peers, collecting surveys and advocating for stronger policies that protect youth from nicotine addiction. By leading conversations at their schools and in their communities, these students are helping raise awareness about the importance of comprehensive tobacco taxation and retail licensing and working toward a healthier future for Oklahoma.
###
CounterAct Tobacco is an initiative working to move the power out of Big Tobacco's hands and into ours through statewide comprehensive tobacco retail licensing. It is funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). For more information, visit www.CounterActTobacco.com.
Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), is a statewide youth-led initiative that partners with schools and organizations to make a meaningful and measurable impact on Oklahoma by promoting healthy behaviors. For moreinformation, visit www.YAHLOK.org.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET - Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more, go to www.oklahoma.gov/TSET.