JEFFERSON CITY – Sixteen student members of the Northland prevention advocacy group Youth With Vision met virtually with state representatives and senators to encourage support for pending legislation focused on health and safety issues.

Area lawmakers with whom students met were Rep. Randy Railsback, and Sens. Lauren Arthur, Dan Hegeman and Denny Hoskins.

The discussion among students and lawmakers included Senate bill 124 and House bill 868, which would raise the age at which someone may purchase tobacco products in Missouri from 18 to 21, matching federal law. The student advocates expressed the importance of a full tobacco flavor ban.

“More than 31% of youth reported available flavors as the No. 1 reason they began to vape,” Sherri Miller said.

Miller is a youth prevention specialist at Tri-County Mental Health Services and facilitator of Youth With Vision.

Bill passage would regulate all vaping devices as tobacco products, which must be kept behind retail store counters and less accessible to youth.

The students also advocated for passing a statewide Narcotics Control Program: SB 63 and HB 1149.

“Missouri is currently the only state to not have a comprehensive state program that allows doctors and pharmacists the ability to document and track the number of opioid prescriptions being written to individuals,” Miller said.

Research statistics suggest more than 235,000 Missourians misused prescription drugs in the past year.

“In 2018, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported that one of every 56 deaths in Missouri were due to opioid overdoses,” Miller said. “That is a 17% increase from 2017.”

Miller said opioid misuse is a health and an economic issue. The department reported Missouri opioid misuse between 2014-2018 resulted in an estimated emergency room charge cost of nearly $117 million, which includes over $47 million in payments from Medicare, Medicaid and other government funds.

“We are so proud of our Youth With Vision members for their dedication and pro-active efforts to create safe environments for young people to stay healthy and achieve their goals,” Miller said.

Youth With Vision is comprised of middle and high school students from Clay, Ray and Platte counties. Find more details at www.youthwithvisionkc.org.

‘More than 31% of youth reported available flavors as the No. 1 reason they began to vape.’

SHERRI MILLER TRI-COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES