Missouri Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 16

State Leaders Urged to Make the Next Generation Tobacco-Free

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Mar 11, 2016, 10:00 ET

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids logo.

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Missouri will stand up to Big Tobacco on March 16 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned across the United States and around the world for this annual 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 demand that tobacco companies stop marketing deadly products to them and encourage elected officials to help reduce youth tobacco use.

This year, Kick Butts Day is focusing attention on the outrageous marketing tactics tobacco companies still use to target youth. These tactics include:

Splashy ads in magazines with large youth readership, such as Sports Illustrated, Glamour and Rolling Stone.
Widespread advertising and price discounts in stores, which make tobacco products appealing and affordable to kids.
Sweet-flavored tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and small cigars that come in flavors like gummy bear, cotton candy, watermelon and fruit punch. While youth cigarette smoking has fallen to record lows, the most recent government survey shows that e-cigarette use among high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014 (from 4.5 percent to 13.4 percent).

Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $9.6 billion a year – over one million dollars every hour – to market tobacco products. In Missouri, tobacco companies spend $359.8 million annually on marketing efforts.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up to the tobacco industry and all of us, especially our elected officials, should stand with them," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We've made amazing progress in reducing youth smoking and can make the next generation tobacco-free. Elected officials in every state should help reach that goal by supporting proven strategies to prevent youth tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws, prevention programs and raising the tobacco age to 21."

In Missouri, tobacco use claims 11,000 lives and costs $3.03 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 14.9 percent of Missouri's high school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids join in creative events that range from classroom activities about the harmful ingredients in cigarettes to rallies at state capitols.

In Missouri, activities include:

The Tobacco Free Missouri Youth Leadership Council is hosting a rally in Jefferson City to take a stand against tobacco in Missouri. Following the rally, teams will tour the capital and meet with elected officials. Time: 10 AM. Location: First United Methodist Church, 201 Monroe Street, Jefferson City. Contact: Tiffany Bowman (573) 489-6382.

Youth With Vision is hosting a kickball tournament in Kansas City at the Kansas City Police Athletic League Center. Prior to the tournament, teen leaders will lead a series of educational workshops that demonstrate the dangers of tobacco products. Time: 4 PM. Location: 1801 White Avenue, Kansas City. Contact: Reshana Peterson (816) 289-0044.

Youth from Clear MO Air Teams, the Stone County 4H, and Reeds Spring Girl Scouts will hold a cigarette butt cleanup in Crane to remove the cigarette butts that are piling up in town. Time: 3 PM. Location: 118 Main Street, Crane. Contact: Monica Spittler (808) 854-5748.

All events are on March 16 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Missouri, 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