BOISE, Idaho — The American Heart Association and local teens teamed up and encouraged state legislators to support smoke-free air laws and licensed retailer enforcement to help establish a tobacco-free Idaho.
“So we’re looking to increase funding for education of tobacco and nicotine prevention,” said a Meridian High School student.
About a dozen high school students took on the challenge Thursday morning of connecting with busy lawmakers to make a change for their futures. “As a high school student I can definitely say that I see nicotine being used in my school very often,” said Abigail Wallace, a local high school student.
The decrease in the traditional cigarettes has made way for nicotine intake via vape and new chewing tobacco style products like ‘Zyn.’
Nearly 18% of Idaho high schoolers report regularly using nicotine in some way.
“It’s common to go into the bathrooms and you would smell it. It's just always like a constant thing that you’re surrounded by, especially with the new nicotine pouches, it’s like people put them in like gum,” said Lydia Kamann, a local high school student.
The American Heart Association is helping coordinate and educate these passionate teens to encourage their representatives and senators to keep nicotine and tobacco laws and regulations top of mind.
“And they want to hear from us. No better way to do it than be here and share with them real-life instances and stories,” said Angela Creason, a cardiac arrest survivor and advocate, who volunteers with the American Heart Association.
The association aims to have e-cigarette smoke included in the Idaho Clean Indoor Air Act and increase taxes and costs on new popular flavored and smokeless tobacco products, potentially using that money to fund impactful prevention education
“[We’re] just trying to up the education level on that and getting teens more focused on why they should not do it,” said another local high school student while speaking with Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow.
