Kansas Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 24

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Mar 18, 2010, 02:14 ET

Kansas Leaders Urged to Increase Cigarette Tax by $1

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Kansas 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.

In Kansas, health advocates are calling on state leaders to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack in order to prevent kids from smoking and raise much-needed revenue to address the state's budget shortfall and fund critical programs such as health care and education. According to a recent report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a $1 cigarette tax increase in Kansas would have the following benefits:

Prevent 21,600 kids from becoming smokers;
Spur 12,000 current adult smokers to quit;
Save 10,000 residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths; and
Save $492.0 million in health care costs.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids are standing up to the tobacco companies, and Kansas leaders should stand with them by increasing the cigarette tax," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "A higher cigarette tax is truly a win-win-win for Kansas: a health win that will prevent kids from smoking and save lives; a budget win that will help protect vital programs like health care and education; and a political win that is popular with the voters."

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 Kansas, tobacco use claims 3,800 lives and costs $927 million in health care bills each year. Currently, 20.6 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 11,800 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 Kansas include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

Students from Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School in Wichita will be competing in an anti-tobacco poster contest and learning tobacco facts with interactive games. The Sedgwick County Health Department will be in attendance to further educate students about the harms of tobacco and secondhand smoke. Time: 3 PM. Location: 1243 North Market, Wichita. Contact: Rita Chavez (316) 806-4055.

On March 22, the Smoke Free Tiger Task Force at Stockton Grade School in Stockton will host a different event each day during the week of Kick Butts Day. Beginning on Monday, students will wear boots to school to give tobacco the "boot" and on Tuesday, students will wear slippers to give tobacco the "slip." On Kick Butts Day, students will place foot prints around campus to symbolize "stomping out tobacco." Time: All Day. Location: 201 North Cypress, Stockton. Contact: Tricia Dunlap (785) 994-3023.

On March 22, anti-tobacco youth advocates at Wheatridge Middle School in Gardner will teach parents and peers alike about the dangers of tobacco and secondhand smoke and examine both the financial and health costs of tobacco. Time: 8 AM. Location: Wheatridge Middle School, 318 East Washington, Gardner. Contact: Kim Loring (913) 856-2970.

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