Growing up in West Virginia, tobacco is an inescapable part of life. From the kids sneaking cigarettes in middle school to my friends’ parents who struggle to break the habit, and even my grandfather who didn’t go a day without a cigarette for 50 years, tobacco has been a constant presence since my early childhood.

I’ve seen the damage tobacco causes and how the industry continually perpetuates its harm. In sixth grade, I joined RAZE, a youth-led movement in West Virginia that works to stop tobacco use before it starts. That experience gave me the tools and confidence to take on something big: helping my grandfather quit after 50 years of smoking. Within a year, he did, and I couldn’t be prouder.

My experience is part of a much larger public health crisis in our state — one that’s now at

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