South Dakota Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 24

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Mar 18, 2010, 02:08 ET

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

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in South Dakota 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 South Dakota, tobacco use claims 1,000 lives and costs $274 million in health care bills each year. Currently, 24.7 percent of the state's high school students smoke, and 3,900 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 South Dakota include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

On March 25, Northern State University "Methods of Health Instruction" students will visit 5th graders at May Overby Elementary School in Aberdeen to talk to them about the dangers of tobacco. Students will also play an interactive game of "Kick the Can" to teach and illustrate the harms of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. Time: 11 AM. Location: May Overby Elementary School, 612 SE 14th Avenue, Aberdeen. Contact: Brenda Dreyer (605) 626-7747.

Student Council leaders at Lincoln Elementary in Yankton will visit each class to educate students about the harmful effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke. Student advocates will be using illustrative visuals to demonstrate these effects by comparing a smoker's and non-smoker's lungs. Time: 8 AM. Location: 815 Locust Street, Yankton. Contact: Lesley Hale (605) 665-2484.

On March 29, students from Unfiltered REALity, a 6th-12th grade tobacco prevention group in Mitchell, will educate parents about how tobacco companies target teens for their products, in hopes that parents will be more aware of pressures facing their children and that they will take a more active position in preventing smoking among teens. Time: 6 PM. Location: Mitchell Technical Institute, 1800 East Spruce Street, Mitchell. Contact: Karen Allen (605) 376-4814.

Note to the media: For a list of Kick Butts Day events in South Dakota, 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