Wisconsin Kids to 'Kick Butts' on March 15

Action urged to protect kids from candy-flavored tobacco products

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Mar 10, 2017, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kids in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, tobacco companies spend $155.8 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 Wisconsin, tobacco use claims 7,900 lives and costs $2.66 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 8.1 percent of Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin, activities include:

Local youth at the Horicon Junior and Senior High School will take a stand against tobacco. Horicon SADD will place cups in a fence. Students will also sign a tobacco-free pledge and enter a drawing for non-smoker t-shirts. Time: 8 AM. Location: 841 Gray Street, Horicon. Contact: Anne Millane (920) 485-4441.

Greendale Middle School's Tobacco Fighters club will host a "Not A Replacement" social media campaign to educate their peers about the realities of big tobacco's marketing goals to make youth "replacement smokers." Students will share selfies on the Greendale Health Department social media channels, and printed "selfies" will be used to create a display at the local library. Time: 11 AM. Location: 6800 Schoolway, Greendale. Contact: Kitty Goyette (414) 416-6215.

Students from the Barron County School District will join the Barron County Boys and Girls Club to set up informational booths to share tobacco facts, games and promotional items with other students. Time: 10 AM. Location: 30 Wisconsin Avenue, Rice Lake. Contact: Jenna Green (715) 931-7349.

The Franklin Youth Initiative is sponsoring a "#NotAReplacement" social media campaign to encourage youth to choose a tobacco-free lifestyle. Time: 11 AM. Location: 8222 S. 51st Street, Franklin. Contact: Julianna Manske (414) 587-9588.

Two Rivers High School FACT Students, in partnership with the local Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, will work to identify community members, family and friends who have 'kicked' their tobacco habit and personally invite them to celebrate their successes on Kick Butts Day. Time: 6 PM. Location: Fireplace Lodge, 1710 West Park Street, Two Rivers. Contact: Katie Wilsmann (920) 901-9922.

All events are on March 15 unless otherwise indicated. For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Wisconsin, 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