North Carolina Kids Will 'Kick Butts' on March 19

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

News provided by

Mar 13, 2014, 09:42 ET

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in North Carolina will stand up against tobacco on March 19 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 19^th annual Kick Butts Day. More than 1,400 events are planned across the nation. (See below for a list of local events.)

Organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Kick Butts Day is an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco. On Kick Butts Day, youth will encourage their peers to stay tobacco-free and educate their communities about the tobacco industry's harmful marketing practices.

This year, Kick Butts Day comes as new information reaffirms the urgent need for action. The United States is marking the 50^th anniversary of the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health, and a new Surgeon General's report released in January found that smoking is even more hazardous than previously thought. Key findings of the report include:

Each year, smoking kills 480,000 people in the U.S. and costs the nation at least $289 billion in health care bills and other economic losses.
Without urgent action to reduce smoking, 5.6 million U.S. children alive today will die prematurely from smoking-caused disease. That includes 180,000 children in North Carolina alone.
Tobacco marketing causes kids to start and continue using tobacco products.

Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $8.8 billion a year – one million dollars each hour – to market cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. In particular, tobacco companies target youth with magazine ads, store ads and discounts, and fruit- and candy-flavored small cigars that look just like cigarettes.

"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. "Elected officials must stand with them by supporting proven measures to protect kids from tobacco addiction, including tobacco taxes, smoke-free laws and prevention programs. On the 50^th anniversary of the first Surgeon General's report, we need bold action to create a tobacco-free generation and end the tobacco epidemic for good."

Health advocates in North Carolina are urging leaders to restore funding for tobacco prevention programs that have been virtually eliminated in the past two years.

In North Carolina alone, tobacco use claims 12,500 lives and costs $3.8 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 15.5 percent of the state's high school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids turn the tables on Big Tobacco in creative ways, with events that range from small classroom activities about the harmful ingredients in cigarettes to large rallies at state capitols.

Activities in North Carolina include:

On March 15, youth from Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) will organize a walk in downtown Asheville to take a stand against tobacco and secondhand smoke, and advocate for future tobacco prevention funding. Time: 9 AM. Location: Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza, Asheville. Contact: Donna Storrow (828) 231-0959.

In Columbia, youth from Columbia High School's Tobacco Reality Unfiltered will organize a cigarette butt cleanup to remove the cigarette litter on the grounds of Columbia Town Park. Time: 3:15 PM. Location: Columbia Town Park on Highway 64, Columbia. Contact: Lisa Phillips (252) 216-5674.

Students from Caldwell Early College High School in Hudson will encourage others to commit to be tobacco-free by constructing and signing a pledge wall. Time: 11 AM. Location: 2855 Hickory Boulevard, Hudson. Contact: Anna Martin (828) 426-8506.

Boy Scouts of America from Mooresville will organize a cigarette butt cleanup throughout Iredell County to remove the growing eyesore, and to build support for tobacco-free government grounds policies in the county and municipalities. Time: 5:30 PM. Location: Stump Creek Park, 160 Stumpy Creek Road, Mooresville. Contact: Sara Fink (704) 924-4089.

Students from Hamlet Middle School in Hamlet will "Air Out Big Tobacco's dirty laundry" by creating a powerful visual display to help people in the community realize the deadly consequences of tobacco use and the tactics used by the tobacco industry to market their products. Time: 11 AM. Location: 1406 McDonald Avenue. Contact: Shareese Powell (910) 997-8494.

(Note: all events are on March 19 unless otherwise indicated.)

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

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080918/CFTFKLOGO

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids