Could we imagine a world in which nicotine products did not exist? Could such a world be shaped by teens working together to make it happen, and what might that mean for public health?

25-year-old Raven Twilling, Program Coordinator for Bay Area Community Resources in Marin County, discusses how she has helped organize teens to make nicotine products illegal to sell in two California towns. She shares her journey from noticing vaping trends in high school to studying public health and working in her current role.

Raven highlights recent successful initiatives, including complete bans on the sale of commercial tobacco and nicotine products in Ross and Tiburon, California.

Most importantly, she explains how young people played a central role in these efforts and how listening to this episode with young people may spark interest in civic action and advocacy.

Resources

Bay Area Community Resources

Marin County Tobacco Prevention Program

Public Health Law Center

Truth Initiative (educational content)

Marin Youth Advocacy Committee

KickIt California (free quit support for anyone in CA 13+)

Tiburon News Article

Ross News Article

Board of Supervisors (Marin Unincorporated) News Article

Time Code

00:00 Introduction to Raven and BACR

00:16 Raven's Journey into Nicotine Prevention

01:38 Current Work and Responsibilities at BACR

02:46 Policy Advocacy and Recent Wins

03:51 Arguments for Nicotine Product Bans

06:13 Youth Involvement and Community Impact

07:51 Process of Implementing Local Laws

11:44 Marin County's Recent Policy Changes

25:58 Challenges and Enforcement Issues

27:11 Encouraging Youth Involvement

28:36 Conclusion and Final Thoughts