Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, tobacco companies spend $431.2 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 Pennsylvania, tobacco use claims 22,000 lives and costs $6.38 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 18.4 percent of Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania, activities include:

The Phoenixville Area Middle School Teens Against Tobacco Use, Phoenixville YMCA, Phoenixville Hospital and Phoenixville Communities That Care will hold a three-on-three basketball tournament for youth ages 11–18 to educate the community about staying tobacco-free. Youth will also hold a flash mob in between games. Time: 4 PM. Location: 400 E. Pothouse Road, Phoenixville. Contact: Kevin Corcoran (484) 927-5200.

Students from Greencastle Antrim Middle School in Greencastle will lead an educational trivia event with third through fifth grade students at Greencastle Antrim Elementary School. Students will be quizzed, have the opportunity to win prizes, and will create a tobacco-free graffiti wall. Time: 11 AM. Location: 500 E. Leitersburg Street, Greencastle. Contact: Stacy McCole (717) 372-6703.

Students at Columbia Jr.-Sr. High School will educate their peers with visuals and information about how the tobacco industry targets youth. Students will take #NotAReplacement selfies to declare that they are not replacement smokers. Time: 11:30 AM. Location: 901 Ironville Pike, Columbia. Contact: (717) 471-5098.

The FISH youth coalition of Jamestown High School will educate Jamestown Elementary School students about the harmful ingredients in tobacco products, and provide board games to simulate positive activities kids can do instead of smoking. Location: 204 Shenango Street, Jamestown. Contact: Jeff Hanley (724) 977-2781.

The Council on Chemical Abuse in Reading will hold interactive, informational activities—including tobacco-free pledges and social media anti-tobacco "selfies"—at iLead Charter School to educate students about the dangers of tobacco. Time: 12:30 PM. Location: 401 Penn Street, Reading. Contact: Jennifer Kaucher (610) 463-6792.

All events are on March 18 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Pennsylvania, 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