New Mexico Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 24

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Mar 18, 2010, 02:46 ET

State Leaders Urged to Support Higher Tobacco Taxes, Other Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in New Mexico 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.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other public health advocates are calling on elected officials to support proven measures to reduce tobacco use and its devastating toll. As states struggle with record budget deficits, state leaders should increase tobacco taxes both to prevent kids from smoking and to raise revenue to balance budgets and fund critical programs. States should also enact smoke-free air laws that apply to all workplaces and public places and implement well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids are standing up to the tobacco companies, and elected officials should stand with them by supporting proven tobacco prevention measures," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We know what works to reduce smoking and other tobacco use. Every state should implement these proven solutions, including higher tobacco taxes, well-funded tobacco prevention programs and smoke-free air laws."

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 New Mexico, tobacco use claims 2,100 lives and costs $461 million in health care bills each year. Currently, 24.2 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 8,200 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 New Mexico include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

The La Merced Elementary School in Belen will make a giant cigarette filled with chemicals found in cigarettes, such as ammonia and arsenic. Time: 3 PM. Location: 301 Alamo Loop, Belen. Contact: Irene Lucero-Lovato (505) 864-6704.

On April 9, Students Helping Others Understand Tobacco (SHOUT) in Hatch will write and display powerful messages about tobacco's toll on them and their loved ones when they erect a memorial graffiti wall at the Hatch Valley High School. Time: 4:30 PM. Location: 170 Herrera Road, Hatch. Contact: Kathryn Fleming (575) 642-0014.

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