Florida Kids Will 'Kick Butts' on March 19

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

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Mar 13, 2014, 09:32 ET

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Florida will stand up against tobacco on March 19 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 19^th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,400 events are planned across the nation. (See below for a list of local events.)

Organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Kick Butts Day is an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco. On Kick Butts Day, youth will encourage their peers to stay tobacco-free and educate their communities about the tobacco industry's harmful marketing practices.

This year, Kick Butts Day comes as new information reaffirms the urgent need for action. The United States is marking the 50^th anniversary of the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health, and a new Surgeon General's report released in January found that smoking is even more hazardous than previously thought. Key findings of the report include:

Each year, smoking kills 480,000 people in the U.S. and costs the nation at least $289 billion in health care bills and other economic losses.
Without urgent action to reduce smoking, 5.6 million U.S. children alive today will die prematurely from smoking-caused disease. That includes 270,000 children in Florida alone.
Tobacco marketing causes kids to start and continue using tobacco products.

Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $8.8 billion a year – one million dollars each hour – to market cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. In particular, tobacco companies target youth with magazine ads, store ads and discounts, and fruit- and candy-flavored small cigars that look just like cigarettes.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids will stand up and reject Big Tobacco's manipulative marketing," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Elected officials must stand with them by supporting proven measures to protect kids from tobacco addiction, including tobacco taxes, smoke-free laws and prevention programs. On the 50^th anniversary of the first Surgeon General's report, we need bold action to create a tobacco-free generation and end the tobacco epidemic for good."

Health advocates in Florida are urging leaders to raise the tobacco tax and continue to fund the state's very successful tobacco prevention program, as required by the state constitution.

In Florida alone, tobacco use claims 28,100 lives and costs $8.6 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 8.6 percent of the state's high school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids turn the tables on Big Tobacco in creative ways, with events that range from small classroom activities about the harmful ingredients in cigarettes to large rallies at state capitols.

Activities in Florida include:

Students part of the University of Florida's Tobacco-Free Task Force and other campus organizations will provide resources in the Plaza of the Americas and the Shands Atrium/HPNP Building to educate their peers and others on campus about the dangers of smoking and raise awareness of the university's tobacco-free policy. Time: 9 AM. Location: 1225 Center Drive, Gainesville. Contact: Kathy Nichols (352) 273-8530.

Students at Crystal River High School will participate in several events to learn about the dangers of tobacco, such as displaying pairs of shoes to represent the number of lives lost to tobacco each day. Time: 9 AM. Location: 3195 Crystal River High Drive, Crystal River. Contact: Toby Rowlinson (352) 795-4641.

Eighth grade students at Randall Middle School in Lithia will spend Kick Butts Day learning about the social, physical and economic impact of tobacco use through a presentation from the local Anti-Drug Alliance. Students will have the opportunity to pledge to be tobacco-free and to participate in fun relays such as a "Butt Roll," "BreathRealizer," and "DipNBlow." Time: 9 AM. Location: 16510 Fishhawk Boulevard, Lithia. Contact: Kristy Verdi (813) 727-9813.

Members of Students Working Against Tobacco at Acceleration Academy High School in Orlando will host an anti-tobacco fair to inform their peers about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke. Students will participate in an obstacle course, visit informational booths and pledge to remain tobacco free. Time: 10 AM. Location: 2274 S. Semoran Boulevard, Orlando. Contact: Nicki Daniels (407) 992-0917.

Students in Florida Atlantic University's Tobacco-Free Task Force in Boca Raton will dress up like zombies and pass out information about the dangers of smoking to their peers in an effort to help make the university smoke-free. Time: 11 AM. Location: 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Contact: Kamalie Belizaire (954) 593-5654.

(Note: all events are on March 19 unless otherwise indicated.)

For a full list of Kick Butts Day events in Florida, visit http://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