New Jersey Kids Will 'Kick Butts' on Wednesday, March 20

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Mar 15, 2013, 01:12 ET

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in New Jersey will stand up against tobacco on March 20 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 18^th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,200 events are planned across the United States. (See below for a list of local events.)

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Organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and sponsored by 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. They will also educate their communities about the dangers of tobacco and the tobacco industry's harmful marketing practices.

This year on Kick Butts Day, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is highlighting the tobacco industry's products and marketing that entice kids to use tobacco. According to the Federal Trade Commission, tobacco companies spend $8.5 billion a year – nearly $1 million each hour – to market cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. This marketing has an impact on kids:

While the U.S. has greatly reduced youth smoking, 18.1 percent of high school students still smoke, and nearly 1,000 kids become regular smokers each day. Among youth smokers, 86 percent prefer Marlboro, Newport and Camel, which are the three most heavily advertised cigarette brands, according to the government's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Tobacco companies have also introduced new products that appeal to kids, including cheap, sweet, colorfully-packaged small cigars that look just like cigarettes. Many cigars come in fruit and candy flavors such as strawberry, vanilla, peach and apple.
In a 2012 report, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that tobacco marketing causes kids to start and continue using tobacco products.

"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. "It's also a chance for elected leaders to commit to protecting kids from tobacco through policies such as tobacco taxes, smoke-free laws and prevention programs. We hope that legislators will listen to their young constituents and implement these proven solutions to reduce tobacco use and save lives."

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.

In New Jersey, tobacco use claims 11,200 lives and costs $3.2 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 16.1 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 New Jersey include:

Youth from the Irvington Safe Haven will debut "Out of the Mouth of Babes," a film about the perils of tobacco use in Newark and will hear presentations on the dangers of tobacco use from Mayor Wayne Smith and East Orange Councilwoman Andrea McPhatter. Time: 4 PM. Location: 360-394 Springfield Avenue, Newark. Contact: Jihadah Sharif (973) 766-1514.
Youth to Youth Peer Leaders in Bridgeton will stage a play, "Smoking Is Not What It Is Quacked Up To Be" at McDonald's followed by a "What's In That Butt" challenge testing knowledge of cigarette ingredients. Time: 4:30. Location: 56 E. Broad Street, Bridgeton. Contact: Karen Barnett (856) 455-1684.
The Center for Prevention and Counseling is hosting a youth event at St. Luke's Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg to honor the winners of an anti-smoking poster contest. The event also includes an anti-smoking pledge wall for children to sign. Time: 5 PM. Location: 185 Roseberry Street, Phillipsburg. Contact: Cindy Meakem (973) 868-2455.
On March 25, youth members of Tobacco-Free Neptune Parks will present cigarette butts collected in local parks to the Neptune Township Committee, and call for an anti-smoking ordinance in Neptune parks. Time: 6 PM. Location: 25 Neptune Boulevard, Neptune. Contact: Dawn Thompson (732) 904-6500.

(Note: all events are on March 20 unless otherwise indicated.)

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