Arkansas Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 18

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Mar 13, 2015, 12:25 ET

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Arkansas 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 Arkansas, tobacco companies spend $107.4 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 Arkansas, tobacco use claims 5,800 lives and costs $1.21 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 19.1 percent of Arkansas'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 Arkansas, activities include:

On March 14, youth from the 19^th Force Support Squadron Youth Program in Little Rock will draw attention to the aggressive marketing strategies of Big Tobacco and encourage students and adults alike to become anti-smoking advocates. Time: 12 PM. Location: 940 Arnold Drive Building 940, Little Rock. Contact: James Ussery (501) 987-6355.

Following a silent march, an estimated 400 students from across the state will join the Arkansas Youth Leadership Initiative at the Capitol Building in Little Rock for a rally where the youth will present tobacco prevention ideas to state legislators. Time: 11 AM. Location: 500 Woodlane Street, Little Rock. Contact: Genine Perez (501) 310-0607.

Students Trying to Reduce the Use of Tobacco (STRUT) in Huntsville will place body bags and tombstones with anti-tobacco facts around shops in the town center to symbolize the dangers of tobacco. Time: 11 AM. Location: 115 Lee Street, Huntsville. Contact: Brenda Patterson (479) 737-4056.

On March 20, students at Har-Ber High School in Springdale will set up tombstones that represent the deaths caused by tobacco and air out tobacco's "dirty laundry" by displaying the chemicals in cigarettes. Time: 9 AM. Location: 300 Jones Road, Springdale. Contact: Shelby Potts (479) 422-5873.

All events are on March 18 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Arkansas, 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