Hello! My name is Gracie McCoin, and I am a second year member of Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL)! I am writing this blog to share the importance of one of our campaigns called CounterAct Tobacco. CounterAct Tobacco works on limiting the sale and use of e-cigarettes and vapes amongst our youth in Oklahoma. 

While many people in Oklahoma agree that this is a major problem amongst teens, statistics have also given very strong evidence that this is not something we can ignore. Simply walking into the bathrooms at my school has become a struggle unless you want to inhale secondhand smoke from the vapes. No one should be afraid to go into the bathrooms because they don’t want to walk through a cloud of smoke. 

Several YAHL members in Muskogee and I have met with our Rotary Club and our City of Muskogee Foundation this year and have gotten two pledge cards from these presentations! We appreciate all the support we have received and hope to continue to grow our partnerships in Oklahoma! The youth is our future; we need to protect and preserve them!

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By: Gracie McCoin, Muskogee High School