New Jersey Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 18

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

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Mar 13, 2015, 12:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in New Jersey will stand up to Big Tobacco on March 18 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 20^th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned nationwide for this 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 encourage their peers to stay tobacco-free, demand that tobacco companies stop marketing deadly, addictive products to them and encourage elected officials to do more to reduce youth tobacco use.

This year, Kick Butts Day is focusing attention on how the tobacco industry still spends huge sums on marketing and is adopting new strategies to reach young customers. Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $8.8 billion a year – one million dollars every hour – to market tobacco products. In New Jersey, tobacco companies spend $172 million annually on marketing efforts. The industry's tactics that entice kids include:

Splashy ads in magazines with large youth readership, such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and Rolling Stone.
Widespread advertising and price discounts in stores, which make tobacco products appealing and affordable to kids.
New, sweet-flavored tobacco products such as small cigars and electronic cigarettes. The latest surveys show that youth use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed.

In addition to organizing events, kids are standing up to the tobacco industry on social media through the #NotAReplacement selfie campaign. The tobacco industry's own documents reveal that they have long targeted kids as "replacement smokers" for the more than 480,000 people their products kill each year in the United States. Kids are taking selfies to say they're not a replacement and sharing the photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the #NotAReplacement hashtag. (view the #NotAReplacement selfie gallery)

"On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up and reject Big Tobacco's manipulative marketing," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We can make the next generation tobacco-free and end the tobacco epidemic for good. Elected officials can help reach that goal by standing with kids and supporting proven strategies to prevent youth tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws and prevention programs."

In New Jersey, tobacco use claims 11,800 lives and costs $4.06 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 12.9 percent of New Jersey's high school students smoke.

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

In New Jersey, activities include:

Students from Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School in Newark will create dramatic skits, songs, essays and posters exposing the dangers of tobacco. Students' work will be honored in April by town officials. Time: 2 PM. Location: Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School, 291 North 7^th Street, Newark. Contact: Jihadah Sharif (862) 216-6041.

The JBMDL-Garden Terrace Youth Center will host a community Kick Butts Day to raise awareness about the risks and consequences of smoking through fun and interactive educational activities. Time: 3 PM. Location: Bldg. 1279, Locust Street, Fort Dix. Contact: Cheryl Shervington (609) 562-5061.

West Windsor youth band Red White N Blu will release a song on iTunes that aims to promote anti-smoking lifestyles. Time: All day. Location: iTunes.com. Contact: Rakhi Agarwal (609) 213-1335.

On March 21, nursing students from Atlantic Cape Community College will participate in a smoking cessation health fair run by the St. Maximillian Kolbe Church. Time: 10 AM. Location: 200 Tuckahoe Road, Marmora. Contact: Jessica Carlson (609) 453-8888.

All events are on March 18 except for the Atlantic Cape Community College event. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in New Jersey, 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