Tennessee Kids Will 'Kick Butts' on March 19

State Leaders Urged to Support Tobacco Prevention Initiatives

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Mar 13, 2014, 09:48 ET

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Tennessee 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 125,000 children in Tennessee 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."

In Tennessee alone, tobacco use claims 10,000 lives and costs $2.67 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 21.6 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 Tennessee include:

On March 19, the Jackson-Madison County Region Health Department, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Jackson, will hold an anti-smoking rally and poster contest to fight Big Tobacco. Students will be urged to sign a pledge to stay tobacco-free. Time: 4 PM. Location: Boys and Girls Club of Jackson, 832 Lexington Avenue, Jackson. Contact: Chelsea Brandon (731) 927-8534.

Also on March 19, the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will team up with the Oasis Center to help reduce the sale and consumption of tobacco to youth. Youth will participate in "Cig-Regrets: TN Lives Cut Short," an event to raise awareness of the many lives cut short due to tobacco use with an anti-tobacco display featured in Legislative Plaza. Time: 8:30 AM. Location: 301 6^th Avenue N., Nashville. Contact: Abby Whisenant (615) 379-8382.

On March 22, members of the Knox County Youth Health Board will hold a demonstration at Market Square in downtown Knoxville. Youth will lie on the ground in body bags to represent the number of individuals who die in Tennessee due to tobacco-related deaths. Time: 1 PM. Location: Market Square, Union Avenue and Market Street, Knoxville. Contact: Kathryn Burklund (865) 824-7385.

For a full list of Kick Butts Day events in Tennessee, visit http://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