Alabama Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 15

Action urged to protect kids from candy-flavored tobacco products

News provided by

Mar 10, 2017, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Alabama will unite against tobacco use on March 15 as they join thousands of young people nationwide to mark Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned across the United States and around the world for this annual day of youth activism, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (See below for a list of local events.)

On Kick Butts Day, kids encourage their peers to be tobacco-free, reject tobacco companies' devious marketing and urge elected officials to help make the next generation tobacco-free.

This year, Kick Butts Day is focusing attention on how tobacco companies are enticing kids with a growing market of sweet-flavored products such as electronic cigarettes and cigars, threatening to addict a new generation. These products have proved popular with kids. From 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use among high school students jumped from 1.5 percent to 16 percent nationwide, and more kids now use e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes. In addition, more high school boys now smoke cigars than cigarettes. E-cigarettes and cigars are sold in a wide assortment of candy and fruit flavors, such as gummy bear, cotton candy and fruit punch.

Tobacco companies also continue to spend huge sums to market cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, much of it reaching kids. Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $9.1 billion a year – one million dollars every hour – on marketing. In Alabama, tobacco companies spend $203.1 million annually on marketing efforts.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up to the tobacco industry, and our nation's leaders must stand with them," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We've made great strides in reducing youth smoking, but candy-flavored products like e-cigarettes and cigars threaten this progress. We need strong FDA regulation to protect kids from these sweet-flavored products. And elected officials at all levels should support proven strategies that prevent youth tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws, funding prevention programs and raising the tobacco age to 21."

In Alabama, tobacco use claims 8,600 lives and costs $1.88 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 14 percent of Alabama's high school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids join in creative events that range from classroom activities about the harmful ingredients in cigarettes to rallies at state capitols.

In Alabama, activities include:

Decatur Youth Services and We Intend Not To Smoke (WINS) will put on displays, banners and present brochures throughout Decatur describing the chemicals and other ingredients that make cigarettes deadly. Time: 3 – 5 PM. Location: Decatur City Hall, 402 Lee Street, Decatur. Contact: Theresa Burrow (256) 318-5714.

The youth council of the Dothan-Houston County Substance Abuse Partnership in Dothan will display 50 pairs of shoes to represent the number of people who die each hour from tobacco-related disease. Time: 4 – 5 PM. Location: BelAire Center, 3124 W. Main Street, Dothan. Contact: Susan Trawick (334) 701-5772.

The Red Bay High School Tobacco Grant Prevention Program for the Franklin County School System will host a health fair in Red Bay, featuring booths educating students about the adverse health effects of tobacco use. This event will also feature an ambulance from Helen Keller Hospital and a helicopter from MedFlight. Time: 8 AM – 2 PM. Location: Red Bay High School, 800 8th Street E., Red Bay. Contact: Christopher Hargett (256) 702-5228.

At Love Center Church in Montgomery, Dr. Tony D. Peoples will speak to the community about the dangers of tobacco use and secondhand smoke, giving a personal story about how his father passed away from smoking. Time: 7 PM. Location: Love Center Church, 2401 Plum Street, Montgomery. Contact: Demetra Peoples (334) 850-2986.

The youth advisory board of the Council on Substance Abuse - National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence will host a body bag display in Montgomery to represent the deadly effects of tobacco use in our community. Time: 3 – 5 PM. Location: Council on Substance Abuse – NCADD, 828 Forest Avenue, Montgomery. Contact: Antonio Edwards, MPA (334) 262-1629.

All events are on March 15 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Alabama, visit www.kickbuttsday.org/map. Additional information about tobacco, including state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids