Arkansas Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 24

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Mar 18, 2010, 01:08 ET

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

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Arkansas 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 Arkansas, tobacco use claims 4,900 lives and costs $812 million in health care bills each year. Currently, 20.7 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 13,900 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 Arkansas include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

The Tobacco Control Youth Board will lead Kick Butts Day participants in Little Rock in a silent march to the Capitol. Participants will carry black cardboard coffins to illustrate the deadly effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke. A noon press conference will follow inside the Rotunda of the Capitol where several legislators, tobacco control commissioners, Arkansas Department of Health officials and youth spokespeople will address the crowd. Time: 11 AM. Location: Capitol Building, Capitol Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, Little Rock. Contact: Genine Perez-Porch (501) 960-6423.

On April 4, the Parent Center from Dumas School District in Dumas will host their 6th annual Family Night to celebrate Kick Butts Day and promote healthy lifestyles. Time: 3:45 PM. Location: Dumas High School Gymnasium, 710 South Cherry Street, Dumas. Contact: Susan Stewart (870) 377-0506.

On April 23, Baxter County Alternative School students and staff in Mountain Home will showcase cigarette litter that they have collected around the community in front of the courthouse square to rally with local community leaders and the Baxter County Tobacco Control Committee to advocate for more comprehensive anti-tobacco legislation. Time: 11 AM. Location: Baxter County Courthouse, 1 East 7th Street, Mountain Home. Contact: Eric Totty (870) 321-2833.

Note to the media: For a list of Kick Butts Day events in Arkansas, 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