Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Aditi Venkatesh of San Jose, CA, As Youth Advocate of the Year

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May 24, 2019, 09:47 ET

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aditi Venkatesh, 17, of San Jose, CA, has been named a Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Aditi was honored for her leadership in the fight against tobacco last night in Washington, D.C.

Aditi trained and led over 300 students at a rally at California's State Capitol, where she spoke with lawmakers about how tobacco companies target youth with flavors and new products like Juul. She also spoke at a press conference in Sacramento supporting the local prohibition on flavored tobacco products, which helped convince lawmakers to pass the ban just a few weeks ago. Aditi additionally served as the youth spokesperson for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' 2018 Broken Promises report calling on states to better fund tobacco prevention programs.

"We are excited to honor Aditi Venkatesh as a Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Young leaders like Aditi are inspiring their peers to be tobacco-free by standing up to the tobacco industry – while also urging elected officials to take action to help create the first tobacco-free generation."

Aditi and other youth advocates from across the country were honored at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' annual awards gala last night in Washington, DC. The winners received scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and will serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 480,000 Americans and costing the nation $170 billion in health care bills each year. Tobacco kills 7 million people worldwide each year.

In California, tobacco use claims 40,000 lives and costs over $13.2 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 5.4% of California's high school students smoke and 17.3% use e-cigarettes.

Additional information about the youth award winners and the toll of tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids