North Carolina Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 24

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Mar 18, 2010, 02:43 ET

North Carolina Leaders Urged to Increase Cigarette Tax by $1

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in North Carolina 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.

In North Carolina, health advocates are calling on state leaders to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack in order to prevent kids from smoking and raise much-needed revenue to address the state's budget shortfall and fund critical programs such as health care and education. According to a recent report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a $1 cigarette tax increase in North Carolina would have the following benefits:

Prevent 83,700 kids from becoming smokers;
Spur 51,700 current adult smokers to quit;
Save 40,400 residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths; and
Save $1.9 billion in health care costs.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids are standing up to the tobacco companies, and North Carolina leaders should stand with them by increasing the cigarette tax," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "A higher cigarette tax is truly a win-win-win for North Carolina: a health win that will prevent kids from smoking and save lives; a budget win that will help protect vital programs like health care and education; and a political win that is popular with the voters."

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 North Carolina, tobacco use claims 12,200 lives and costs $2.46 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 19 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 42,200 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 North Carolina include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

On March 27at the Elkin Recreation Center Shelter in Elkin, youth will celebrate Kick Butts Day with an interactive carnival where kids will learn about the dangers of tobacco use through games, races and educational displays. Time: 10 AM. Location: 399 Highway 268 West, Elkin. Contact Dena Ray-Hayworth (336) 244-0182.

On March 27, the Forsyth County Health Department will hold a Kick Butts Day carnival where kids will learn about the dangers of tobacco use through games, an appearance of Ciggy Butts, presentation by SAVE survivor Terrie Hall and educational displays at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club in Winston-Salem. Time: 12 PM. Location: 2100 Reynolds Park Road, Winston-Salem. Contact Yalonda Miller (336) 703-3147.

On March 26at Manteo High School in Manteo, students will hold a cigarette butt cleanup to determine if the tobacco-free campus policy is successful. Time: 12:15 PM. Location: 829 Wingina Street, Manteo. Contact: Lisa Phillips (252) 216-5674.

Coastal Horizons Center's No Fumo Youth Group in Wilmington will participate in a "Photo Voice" project to illustrate the influence and harm that tobacco use causes to their community. The photos will be on display at the New Hanover County Library in Wilmington. Time: 4 PM. Location: 201 Chestnut Street, Wilmington. Contact: Barbara Silver (910) 431-2199.

In Henderson, students at Southern Vance High School will display 1,200 pairs of shoes to represent the 1,200 people who die from tobacco and secondhand smoke. Time: 12 PM. Location: 925 Garrett Road, Henderson. Contact: Ralphel Holloman (919) 880-4401.

Note to the media: For a list of Kick Butts Day events in North Carolina, 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