Arizona Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 18

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

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Mar 13, 2015, 12:25 ET

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Arizona will stand up to Big Tobacco on March 18 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 20^th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned nationwide for this 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 stay tobacco-free, demand that tobacco companies stop marketing deadly, addictive products to them and encourage elected officials to do more to reduce youth tobacco use.

This year, Kick Butts Day is focusing attention on how the tobacco industry still spends huge sums on marketing and is adopting new strategies to reach young customers. Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $8.8 billion a year – one million dollars every hour – to market tobacco products. In Arizona, tobacco companies spend $104.1 million annually on marketing efforts. The industry's tactics that entice kids include:

Splashy ads in magazines with large youth readership, such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and Rolling Stone.
Widespread advertising and price discounts in stores, which make tobacco products appealing and affordable to kids.
New, sweet-flavored tobacco products such as small cigars and electronic cigarettes. The latest surveys show that youth use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed.

In addition to organizing events, kids are standing up to the tobacco industry on social media through the #NotAReplacement selfie campaign. The tobacco industry's own documents reveal that they have long targeted kids as "replacement smokers" for the more than 480,000 people their products kill each year in the United States. Kids are taking selfies to say they're not a replacement and sharing the photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the #NotAReplacement hashtag. (view the #NotAReplacement selfie gallery)

"On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up and reject Big Tobacco's manipulative marketing," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We can make the next generation tobacco-free and end the tobacco epidemic for good. Elected officials can help reach that goal by standing with kids and supporting proven strategies to prevent youth tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws and prevention programs."

In Arizona, tobacco use claims 8,300 lives and costs $2.38 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 14.1 percent of Arizona's high school students smoke.

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

In Arizona, activities include:

On March 13, students from Arizona Western College in Parker will disseminate an anti-tobacco PSA campaign, promoting #NotAReplacement, and hold informational tables at the La Paz County Fair. Time: 3:30 PM. Location: 916 W. 12^th Street, Parker. Contact: Rosalina Aguayo (928) 916-8209.

The East Valley Young Marines will organize a rally at the Boys & Girls Club of Mesa with guest speakers from the Mesa Police Department and presentations by members of the Young Marines. Time: 6 PM. Location: 44 North Oak Street, Gilbert. Contact: June Halliwill (602) 692-9716.

The Cochise County Youth Health Coalition in Sierra Vista will organize a rally at Tompkins Park featuring a paper mache figure where people can "kick the butt" and tobacco facts will fall out, similar to a pinata. Time: 3 PM. Location: 2060 S. 7^th Street, Sierra Vista. Contact: Roza Vickers (520) 432-9495.

Youth from the Fort Huachuca School-Age Center will hold a carnival, with a different activity highlighting the negative effects of smoking in each of its eight classrooms. Time: 3 PM. Location: Building 52056, Hatfield Street, Fort Huachuca. Contact: Tracy Owens (520) 533-6673.

On April 3, the Coconino Anti-Tobacco Students will partner with the Arizona Students Aiming for Prevention in Flagstaff to hold a post-card writing campaign to educate the community about the tobacco-free parks policy, and will send these post cards to the local Parks and Recreation Commission. Time: 5 PM. Location: Historic Downtown Flagstaff. Contact: Tiffany Kerr (928) 814-7066.

All events are on March 18 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Arizona, visit www.kickbuttsday.org/map. Additional information about tobacco, including state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

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SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids