My name is Allie Horner. I’m a junior at Pryor High School. I’m a member of the leadership team for YAHL. I work mostly for CounterAct Tobacco, which works with youth, so they have less of a chance to get their hands on vape products. Through this experience, I’ve learned how important it is for teens like us to speak out and take action against the harmful influence of tobacco and nicotine in our communities. 

CounterAct Tobacco focuses on making sure youth do not have easy access to products like vapes. By pushing for comprehensive licensing laws, we can make it harder for these products to end up in the hands of teens. One solution is to require stores to get a special license to sell them. That way, tobacco products aren’t as easy to get, as the people selling them are held more accountable. 

We talk about these issues at school and during events to help raise awareness and educate others. By starting conversations, we’re showing our peers and adults that this is a real problem, and it needs real change. 

It’s important because right now, youth are getting easy access to nicotine, tobacco and other harmful substances, and that’s not okay. These products are addictive and damaging, especially when used at a young age. 

Even more painful is watching my nephew, who vapes nonstop. It honestly makes me upset every time I see him do it. I’ve talked to him and warned him about what could happen if he keeps going down this path. 

I just hope my work with YAHL can help my nephew have less access to tobacco products. I want to make sure the laws can be stricter since products that are like vapes and other tobacco products are not healthy for anyone.

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By: Allie Horner, Pryor High School