PHOTOS: Young holds Tobacco 21 Press Conference with Students at Floyd Central High School

FLOYDS KNOBS, Ind. – Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) held a press conference with Teens for Tobacco 21, a student organization at Floyd Central High School, on the Tobacco to 21 Act. The bipartisan legislation would prohibit the sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under the age of 21.

“The CDC estimates that approximately 4.9 million middle and high school students nationwide were current users of some type of tobacco product last year,” said Senator Young.“With vaping and e-cigarette use on the rise among middle and high school students, we have to act now to protect Hoosier teens. I’m encouraged to see strong Hoosier leaders in southern Indiana taking a stand to raise the tobacco age to 21.”

Myla Tissandier, a sophomore at Floyd Central High School said,“My generation has already been negatively impacted by this epidemic, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make a change for the future of our youth. This is our time to do something about it, so let’s make a difference. We appreciate the efforts that senator young and his team are taking to make t21 a federal issue and encourage them to make the legislation a reality, so my generation’s future doesn’t have to go up in smoke.”

The student speakers from the Teens for Tobacco 21 organization also included Ashia Carr,Tyler Barrett, and Zak Vitale.

The Tobacco to 21 Acthas received widespread supportby health organizations and advocates, and recent pollingshows that 75 percent of Hoosiers support raising the legal age. The South Bend Tribune, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Terre Haute Tribune-Star, Indiana Business Journal, and KPC Newspapers in northeast Indiana have all endorsed the Tobacco to 21 Act. Senator Young also penned an op-edfor CNN and issued a videoregarding the need for this legislation.