Arizona Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 24

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Mar 18, 2010, 01:06 ET

State Leaders Urged to Support Higher Tobacco Taxes, Other Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Arizona will take center stage in the fight against tobacco on March 24 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 15th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (for a list of local events see below).

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Sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Kick Butts Day is an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco use. Kids are sending two powerful messages on Kick Butts Day: They want the tobacco companies to stop targeting them with marketing for cigarettes and other tobacco products, and they want elected leaders to do more to protect them from tobacco.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other public health advocates are calling on elected officials to support proven measures to reduce tobacco use and its devastating toll. As states struggle with record budget deficits, state leaders should increase tobacco taxes both to prevent kids from smoking and to raise revenue to balance budgets and fund critical programs. States should also enact smoke-free air laws that apply to all workplaces and public places and implement well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids are standing up to the tobacco companies, and elected officials should stand with them by supporting proven tobacco prevention measures," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We know what works to reduce smoking and other tobacco use. Every state should implement these proven solutions, including higher tobacco taxes, well-funded tobacco prevention programs and smoke-free air laws."

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people and costing $96 billion in health care bills each year. While the nation has made significant progress in reducing youth smoking, 20 percent of high school students still smoke.

In Arizona, tobacco use claims 6,800 lives and costs $1.3 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 22.2 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 22,900 kids try cigarettes for the first time each year.

On Kick Butts Day, kids turn the tables on Big Tobacco with events that range from "They put WHAT in a cigarette?" demonstrations to mock-funerals for the Marlboro Man to rallies at state capitols. Activities in Arizona include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

Students at Fox Creek Jr. High School in Bullhead City will set up a display about the dangers of tobacco use, hand out prevention materials and create a pledge wall for people to pledge to never use tobacco products. Time: All Day. Location: 3101 Desert Sky Blvd., Bullhead City. Contact: Cheryl Mireles (480) 272-2895.

On March 23, students at the Kingman Academy of Learning High School in Kingman will hand out literature and have a table displaying visuals of tobacco's dangers along with a graffiti wall for youth to write powerful messages about tobacco's toll on them and their loved ones. Time: 12 PM. Location: 3420 N Burbank Street, Kingman. Contact: Annie Meredith (480) 203-3087.

Students from Lake Havasu High School will pick up cigarettes on campus grounds to remove this growing eyesore. Time: 8 AM. Location: 2675 Palo Verde Blvd S., Lake Havasu City. Contact: Jane Hanson (928) 453-4237.

The Kingman High School in Kingman will be doing a graffiti/pledge wall as well as a Numbers Campaign to represent the number of kids in Arizona who start smoking each month. Time: 10 AM. Location: 4182 N. Bank Street, Kingman. Contact: Annie Meredith (480) 203-3087.

Note to the media: For a list of Kick Butts Day events in Arizona, visit www.kickbuttsday.org/events. Additional information about tobacco, including state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids