Action Plan Title: Passing the bill: Ban Flavored Tobacco Products in Oregon

Holly F.

Hometown/Country: Lake Oswego, OR

Program/Year: Leadership Institute On-Campus (2024)

Please describe your Action Plan in one sentence

I have encouraged family, peers, and teachers to submit written testimony for multiple bills, as well as writing many pieces of my own, and I plan to give in-person verbal testimony in hopes of helping push forward SB 702 and HB 3437.

Describe your project in detail, including what steps you've taken to advance your project. 

I started with a lot of group research, across dozens of sources, and became very well educated on the subject of flavored tobacco and many perspectives on it, like how it fits into the economy, what states have followed through on bans and how they have gone, and the science and statistics behind the industry. With the Lake Oswego Youth Leadership Council, I heard guest speakers from the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. We have written to our Senate President, Rob Wagner, and discussed the topic with him, seeking sponsors for our bill. Most recently, I visited over five local drug and gas station stores, taking surveys on flavored tobacco products, including their marketing, location relative to children's products, and sales. I was also filmed and featured in a series of videos used during the 2025 legislative session. The videos are posted on YouTube and sponsored as advertisements in many popular videos by the account "Flavors Hook Oregon Kids"; my two videos are under the titles "Oregon Youth are Calling for Action" and “Oregon Youth: End the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products”

Describe the need or issue you are trying to address in one or two sentences.

Flavored tobacco products play a major role in teen nicotine addiction; they are deliberately marketed to young people, being placed next to candy, having popular children's flavors, and being very colorful. Legislative action is essential to protect our youth and future while reducing addiction rates.

How have others been involved in your project? What are their respective roles? If you did work with other people, what are the challenges and benefits of working with others? If you've done this project almost entirely on your own, how can you get others involved? 

About a dozen people on the Lake Oswego Youth Leadership Council are also involved and have helped with surveys, participated in research, written testimony, and done much more. I involve most people I know by telling them what I am doing and how they can help.

What impact do you think your project has had?

I think this project has reached and educated many people, as well as broadened my views on everything regarding the subject of substance abuse and the psychology around it, with learning more about how the government works and how to have a real impact on my community.

What challenges and obstacles have you experienced, and how have you addressed these challenges?

During the 2024 Legislative session, the bill was dismissed, which was very disappointing, but we bounced back and have gotten even more involved this year.

What knowledge or skills did you learned during your BELL/Leadership Institute course you have applied to your work on this project? 

I took the Intercultural Communications Leadership Institute class, and it really helped me understand how to reach people from different cultures and be more persuasive and more effective in educating others. It really helped develop my leadership skills, and my capstone project on it gave me a clear and thorough plan that I have been able to follow to get more involved this year.