Missouri Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 21

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

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Mar 19, 2012, 11:39 ET

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kids in Missouri will take center stage in the fight against tobacco on March 21 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 17th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,100 events are planned across the nation (for a list of local events see below).

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

This year, Kick Butts Day comes just after a new report by the U.S. Surgeon General found that while the nation has made tremendous progress in reducing youth smoking, youth tobacco use remains a "pediatric epidemic" that requires urgent action. The Surgeon General's report reached the following conclusions:

While the high school smoking rate has been cut nearly in half since the mid-1990s, more than 3.6 million middle and high school students still smoke.
In addition to long-term consequence such as cancer and heart disease, tobacco use immediately harms the health of youth and young adults. Smoking quickly causes nicotine addiction, cardiovascular damage, slower lung growth and shortness of breath.
Tobacco marketing causes kids to start and continue using tobacco products. Tobacco companies spend more than $10 billion a year – more than $1 million an hour – to advertise and promote their products.
Science and experience have identified proven strategies to reduce youth tobacco use. These include mass media campaigns, increasing the price of cigarettes through higher tobacco taxes, smoke-free policies and school and community prevention programs.

In Missouri, health advocates are supporting a proposed ballot initiative to increase the tobacco tax and fund public education and tobacco prevention programs.

"Kids are sending two powerful messages on Kick Butts Day: They want the tobacco companies to stop targeting them, and they want elected leaders to protect them from tobacco," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We know how to win the fight against tobacco. Elected officials across the nation should support these proven solutions, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws and well-funded tobacco prevention programs."

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. Nationally, 19.5 percent of high school students still smoke, and another 1,000 kids become regular smokers every day.

In Missouri, tobacco use claims 9,500 lives and costs $2.1 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 18.9 percent of the state's high school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids turn the tables on Big Tobacco with events that range from "They put WHAT in a cigarette?" demonstrations to health fairs to rallies at state capitols. Activities in Missouri include (all events are on March 21 unless otherwise noted):

Students at Clayton High School in Clayton will hang t-shirts with anti-tobacco messages on clotheslines in the front yard of their school, and will encourage community members to write a message to the school administration about the virtues of tobacco-free schools. Time: 10 AM. 1 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton. Contact: Anna Noble (515) 991-3299.

The Smokebusters in Hannibal will clean up cigarette butts in the city's central park, and will use the litter they collect to decorate a free-standing mural that will include educational information about the dangers of secondhand smoke. Location: 142 Jaycee Drive, Hannibal. Contact: Sandy Caswell (573) 629-9613.

Missouri Western State University will host a Kick Butts Day dodgeball tournament and rally in conjunction with the city of St. Joseph. Organizers will invite local youth to participates, and learn about healthy living and the dangers of tobacco. Time: 6 PM. Location: 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph. Contact: Jamie Baker (816) 390-1096.

The Jackson County Health Department will set up displays in Raytown about the harmful effects of tobacco products. As part of the event, organizers will invite students to join Tobacco Free Missouri. Location: 6608 Raytown Road, Raytown. Contact: Maggie Ansderson (816) 404-8429

On April 1, Street Dreamz Recording Studio in Hazelwood will distribute copies of an anti-tobacco themed album they have recorded to kids in Saint Louis Mills Mall. Location: 5555 Saint Louis Mills Boulevard #285, Hazelwood. Contact: Koran Bolden (314) 337-0366.

For a full list of Kick Butts Day events in Missouri, visit www.kickbuttsday.org/events. Additional information about tobacco, including state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

About the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leading force in the fight to reduce tobacco use and its deadly toll in the United States and around the world. Our vision is a future free of the death and disease caused by tobacco. We work to prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit and protect everyone from secondhand smoke. For more information, visit www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids