Good day! My name is Mailee Lambert. I am a sophomore at Howe High School, and this is my first year in the Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) program. CounterAct Tobacco is my favorite of the two YAHL campaigns. It works to overturn preemption at the state level, so that local communities can pass stricter tobacco laws. 

We educate and advocate for the campaign in many ways; one of which is collecting surveys. I’ve collected surveys at my school in the past, and they help us get information on how concerned people are about tobacco and if the public agrees with removing preemption, so that our community can pass stricter tobacco policies. 

I personally care about CounterAct Tobacco because I’ve seen the effect it has in my school. We had to install smoke detectors in the pre-k to first grade bathrooms because middle school and high school students were going into those bathrooms to vape. 90% of nicotine addictions start before the user is 18, and I have seen that firsthand in my school, and it is time to change that. Thank you for your time, and I hope you take action in your community!

‍

-Mailee Lambert, Howe High School