Senator Todd Young to Visit CASY, Organizations to Speak In Favor of Raising Smoking Age
Terre Haute, IN – In an effort to reduce deaths from tobacco use and address what has been deemed an “epidemic” of vaping among youth, Senator Todd Young (R-Indiana) and a handful of local organizations will collaborate for a press conference on Friday, May 31 at 1:30pm. The event will be hosted by Chances and Services for Youth (CASY), 1101 S. 13th Street.
Senator Young, along with Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) are among the US Senators that introduced the bi-partisan legislation which would raise the national smoking age. It would prohibit the sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under the age of 21.
Included in the local organizations showing support is Better Health Wabash Valley (BHWV), a branch of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. The organization is headed by Terre Haute Regional Hospital CEO Nathan Vooys in a volunteer capacity. On behalf of BHWV and the Chamber, Vooys submitted a letter earlier this month in support of the legislation.
“The goal is to try to limit and reduce the number of people who actually start smoking. About 95% of all smokers start before the age of 21, so if we can restrict when they access tobacco, we can really drive down smoking rates,” Vooys explained in an interview earlier this month.
CASY, which administers Tobacco Prevention and Cessation programming in Vigo and Sullivan Counties, has also stepped up to support the legislation, which aligns with the program’s goals of promoting a tobacco-free generation through prevention education, supporting tobacco-free environments and assisting tobacco users who want to quit. The program is just one of many services that CASY offers to improve and enrich the lives of children in the Wabash Valley Community.
On Friday, Senator Young, along with Vooys, Libby Ray, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program Coordinator, local students and representatives from the Vigo County School Corporation will speak in support of the legislation.
The media is welcome and encouraged to attend Friday’s press conference. Remarks will begin at 1:30pm, wrapping around 2:15pm.
