On March 19, kids nationwide will join thousands of young people nationwide for the 19th annual Kick Butts Day. They will demand that tobacco companies stop marketing to them and encourage elected officials to do more to protect them from these lethal products. Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing 480,000 people and costing the nation at least $289 billion in health care bills and other economic losses each year.
Organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and sponsored by the United Health Foundation, Kick Butts Day is an annual celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco. 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.
This year, Kick Butts Day comes as new information reaffirms the urgent need for action. The United States is marking the 50th anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, and a new Surgeon General’s report found that smoking is even more hazardous than previously thought. The report found that without urgent action to reduce smoking, 5.6 million U.S. children alive today will die prematurely from smoking-caused deaths.
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. Nationally, 18.1 percent of high school students still smoke.
For a full list of Kick Butts Day events visit http://www.kickbuttsday.org/map. Additional information about tobacco, including state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.
- #StandWithCVS: CVS has banned the sale of tobacco products starting later this year. CVS is also supporting Kick Butts Day, so to show our appreciation, we have created a fun print-out campaign: http://www.kickbuttsday.org/content/updates/StandWithCVS_FC.pdf
- #MakeTobaccoHistory: The United States is marking the 50th anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, and a new Surgeon General’s report found that smoking is even more hazardous than previously thought. We are calling on you to #MakeTobaccoHistory
Get involved socially:
- Facebook: Facebook.com/tobaccofreekids / Facebook.com/kickbuttsday,
- Twitter: Twitter.com/TobaccoFreeKids / Twitter.com/kickbuttsday,
- Instagram: use #KickButtsDay
Video: Now is the Time to End the Destruction Caused by Tobacco
