Virginia Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 15

Action urged to protect kids from candy-flavored tobacco products

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Mar 10, 2017, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Virginia will unite against tobacco use on March 15 as they join thousands of young people nationwide to mark Kick Butts Day. More than 1,000 events are planned across the United States and around the world for this annual 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 be tobacco-free, reject tobacco companies' devious marketing and urge elected officials to help make the next generation tobacco-free.

This year, Kick Butts Day is focusing attention on how tobacco companies are enticing kids with a growing market of sweet-flavored products such as electronic cigarettes and cigars, threatening to addict a new generation. These products have proved popular with kids. From 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use among high school students jumped from 1.5 percent to 16 percent nationwide, and more kids now use e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes. In addition, more high school boys now smoke cigars than cigarettes. E-cigarettes and cigars are sold in a wide assortment of candy and fruit flavors, such as gummy bear, cotton candy and fruit punch.

Tobacco companies also continue to spend huge sums to market cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, much of it reaching kids. Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $9.1 billion a year – one million dollars every hour – on marketing. In Virginia, tobacco companies spend $376.9 million annually on marketing efforts.

"On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up to the tobacco industry, and our nation's leaders must stand with them," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We've made great strides in reducing youth smoking, but candy-flavored products like e-cigarettes and cigars threaten this progress. We need strong FDA regulation to protect kids from these sweet-flavored products. And elected officials at all levels should support proven strategies that prevent youth tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws, funding prevention programs and raising the tobacco age to 21."

In Virginia, tobacco use claims 10,300 lives and costs $3.11 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 8.2 percent of Virginia's high school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids join in creative events that range from classroom activities about the harmful ingredients in cigarettes to rallies at state capitols.

In Virginia, activities include:

On March 13, student leaders and staff at Tabb High School in Yorktown will inform students about the dangers of tobacco and create a "mannequin challenge" video with anti-tobacco signs and posters. Time: 8 AM. Location: 4431 Big Bethel Road, Yorktown. Contact: Lynn Pitchford (757) 867-7427 ext. 42401.

Students from T.C. Williams High School JROTC and the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria will engage youth in Alexandria to ensure that tobacco vendors properly train staff and check IDs for tobacco sales. Mayor Allison Silberberg will kick off the event. Time: 3:30pm. Location: 3330 King Street, Alexandria. Contact: Kimberly Hurley (703) 746-5459.

Y Street youth volunteers will hold a lunch event for students at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk. Students will sign an "In my Lifetime" banner to showcase what they will accomplish in their lifetimes by staying tobacco-free. Time: 11:45 AM. Location: 3301 Nansemond Pkwy, Suffolk. Contact: Holley Tillman (540) 624-2716.

Y Street youth volunteers will hold a lunch event for students at Riverbend High School in Spotsylvania. Students will sign an "In my Lifetime" banner to showcase what they will accomplish in their lifetimes by staying tobacco-free. Time: 11:10 AM. Location: 12301 Spotswood Furnace Road, Spotsylvania. Contact: Holley Tillman (540) 624-2716.

All events are on March 15 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Virginia, visit www.kickbuttsday.org/map. Additional information about tobacco, including state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids