Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont, tobacco companies spend $18.4 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 makes 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 Vermont, tobacco use claims 1,000 lives and costs $348 million in health care bills each year. Currently, 13.3 percent of Vermont'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 Vermont, activities include:

The Collaborative will hold an educational Tobacco-Free Carnival at Flood Brook School in Londonberry. Youth will participate in games and simulations showing the harms of tobacco, and pledge to remain smoke-free. Time: 8 AM. Location: 91 VT Route 11, Londonberry. Contact: Taylor Curtis (802) 824 4200.

Youth from Our Voices Xposed (OVX) and Vermont Kids Against Tobacco (VKAT) will stand up to Big Tobacco by creating a collage of peers declaring they are not replacement smokers. The collage will tour Windsor County, starting at Weathersfield School in Ascutney, paired with facts about the impact of smoking. Time: 9 AM. Location: 135 School House Road, Ascutney. Contact: Rachel Williams (802) 356-0280.

Students at Black River Middle School and High School in Ludlow will post #NotAReplacement photos to social media to declare that they will not be replacement smokers. Time: 11:15 AM. Location: 43 Main Street, Ludlow. Contact: Megan Rudy (802) 228-4652.

Connecting Youth–Leadership Education the Anti-Drug (CY-LEAD) and Our Voices Xposed (OVX) will create an anti-tobacco display at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg. They will also provide information about tobacco marketing, cigarette ingredients, and tobacco laws. Location: 361 CVU Road, Hinesburg. Contact: Christine Newberry (802) 383-1230.

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