Thursday, February 26, 2015

Kane County Youth Educate Lawmakers on the Harms of E-Cigarettes


KANAB, UT - Teens from the Kane Community Youth Coalition (KCYC) recently traveled to the State Capitol to meet with Utah’s legislators; representatives Don Ipson, Mike Noel, Lowry Snow, Jon Stanard, and Senator Stephen Urquhart. The purpose of this trip was to focus on proposed state e-cigarette regulations that would further restrict e-cigarette access to teenagers.

“Learning more about e-cigarettes and being able to speak with our legislators was a great opportunity to support an important cause,” reports KCYC President Lindsay Livingston. “Youth need to understand the health effects of e-cigarettes, and anything we can do to expand our knowledge on the subject and bring it back to our community is extremely helpful.”

“E-cigarettes often contain nicotine, high amounts of one of the most addictive substances on the planet,” adds Lexie Little, Community Outreach Specialist for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department (SWUPHD). “Almost one in five Utah teens have experimented with these devices. The KCYC is educating legislators on policies that have proven to help keep legal drugs out of the hands of teens; including regulating how the product is produced, advertised, sold, and taxed. We also encourage citizens to learn more about the policies being considered and support measures that protect minors.”

Lexie accompanied the group on the trip and reports, ”These youth have the power to make a huge difference in the communities that we live in. They see their fellow teens using these devices on a regular basis and are concerned about the long term health effects.”


For more information about the dangers of e-cigarettes to teenagers, visit swuhealth.org.  You can also schedule a free presentation on e-cigarettes for your community group by calling 435-644-2537.

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