Hello, my name is Diego Romero. I am a student at New Mexico State University and have been an adult volunteer with No Minor Sale for two years. Before No Minor Sale, I was a youth advocate on the leadership team with Evolvement for four years. No Minor Sale is a campaign working to reduce the illegal sale of nicotine products to minors. We do this through advocacy and education about how flavored nicotine products impact our community and the future of our world.

    One of the major things we are working toward is nicotine flavor restriction. Many people start using these products because they come in flavors that appeal to them. On October 28, I had the opportunity to speak with local officials at the Town of Mesilla Board of Trustees meeting to discuss this issue.

    During the meeting, I shared who we are, what we are doing, and what local elected officials can do to help us with our mission. Mesilla is a smaller town that cares deeply about its youth population, and the board members – Mayor Hernandez, Trustee Merrick, Trustee Nevarez, and Trustee Cadena – seemed to genuinely support our work. They asked whether we planned on speaking with legislators during the upcoming legislative session. We let them know that we attend Day at the Capitol every year to advocate for positive change in our state, and that we will do the same this year.

    We must continue speaking with our state legislators to encourage them to make changes and pass policies that protect youth. This is especially important to me because, as someone who has grown up around Mesilla and Las Cruces, I want my peers to have a healthy future. Our youth are the most important people we have. They are the ones who will carry forward everything we’ve learned, build on our progress, and create new ideas, innovations, and opportunities. But they can only do that if we protect them from the things that take those opportunities away.

    This town meeting is just one of many ways to get involved and help protect my community. I hope this experience encourages others to join No Minor Sale as volunteers, spread awareness, or partner with the campaign.

Good afternoon, my name is Mario. I am a high school student at Arrowhead Park Early College High School, and I am also a new member of the leadership team in Evolvement. Did you know that 9 out of 10 youth who use nicotine choose flavored products?

In my experience, many of my friends started using nicotine through flavored products. This makes me think that companies do this to attract more young people as new customers. That is why I want to be part of the change.

This change is the No Minor Sale campaign, which focuses on promoting policy changes in New Mexico to protect the future of our community. If you would like to support this effort, please consider signing a support card and helping us spread awareness.

Buenas tardes, mi nombre es Mario. Soy estudiante de preparatoria en Arrowhead Park Early College High School y también soy un nuevo miembro del equipo de liderazgo en Evolvement. ¿Sabías que 9 de cada 10 jóvenes que usan nicotina eligen productos con sabor?

En mi experiencia, muchos de mis amigos empezaron a usar nicotina a través de productos con sabor. Esto me hace pensar que las compañías hacen esto para atraer a más jóvenes como nuevos clientes. Por eso quiero ser parte del cambio.

Este cambio es la campaña No Minor Sale, que se enfoca en promover cambios de política en Nuevo México para proteger el futuro de nuestra comunidad. Si quieres apoyar este esfuerzo, por favor considera firmar una tarjeta de apoyo y ayudarnos a difundir la conciencia.

Hello, I am Itzel, a member of the leadership team for Evolvement, a youth-led movement promoting a nicotine-free New Mexico. This is my first year on the leadership team, and I am committed to spreading awareness. As a youth advocate with Evolvement, I have learned to speak about an issue that affects not only youth but also young adults. The sale of tobacco and nicotine products needs to come to an end because today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. Seeing how these products affect my peers, I believe raising awareness among young people will help encourage them to stop using flavored products.

One of the biggest reasons to end the sale of tobacco and nicotine is the serious health risks associated with them. These products can lead young people down the wrong path and put their health and future in danger. They are becoming more common in schools, public places, and even at home. This exposure can spark curiosity, leading young people to try them – and once they do, the risk of addiction is high. Nicotine and tobacco addiction can be a frightening experience, which is why the No Minor Sale campaign is working to end the sale of flavored products.

To stop the sale of tobacco and nicotine, I believe we need to take several steps. Raising the legal age to purchase these products was just a starting point. We must also limit sales and remove flavors that appeal to youth. There is so much that can be done, and while the challenge is urgent, there is still time to take action. By raising awareness and empowering youth voices, we can lead the way toward ending the sale of all flavored nicotine and tobacco products.