A Great Day at the Idaho Capitol!

On January 30, 2025, the American Heart Association hosted its annual State Lobby Day. The event brought together  passionate advocates, legislators, and representatives from various organizations, including the Meridian Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, the Tobacco Free Idaho Alliance, Capitol High School’s Political Science Club, and the National Honor Society of Nampa High School. The primary focus of the day was to advocate for key tobacco-related policies, including increasing the tobacco tax, securing funding for tobacco prevention and control programs, promoting smoke-free air initiatives, and implementing tobacco retail licensure.

Advocates met with over 20 Legislators helping ensure that tobacco-related policies remained a priority in the 2025 legislative session. In these meetings advocates shared their personal experiences on these issues putting a real person to them and helping emphasize the importance of increasing the tobacco tax, securing funding for tobacco prevention and control programs, promoting smoke-free air initiatives, and implementing tobacco retail licensure.

While legislation has yet to be introduced, volunteers helped identify potential co-sponsors and supporters for the issues, laying the groundwork for future legislative efforts.

Two local news outlets covered the event, featuring stories and interviews with volunteers helping further amplifying the conversation on public health.

Click here to see local coverage by KIVI and KTVB.

High school students look to decrease nicotine use among peers

Idahoans urge lawmakers to support tobacco prevention laws | ktvb.com

Overall the day was a resounding success helping demonstrate the power of advocates uniting to change the future of health by speaking out and speaking up to advance policies that are improving lives and creating healthier communities.