Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio, tobacco companies spend $394.7 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 make 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."

Health advocates in Ohio are urging lawmakers to support Governor Kasich's proposal to raise the tobacco tax by $1 per pack and equalize the tax on other tobacco products to prevent kids from smoking and save lives.

In Ohio, tobacco use claims 20,200 lives and costs $5.64 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, a troubling 15.1 percent of Ohio'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 Ohio, activities include:

Painesville community members will hold an anti-tobacco event featuring social media photos at the Lake County Salvation Army. Photos will include #NotAReplacement, #FlagItRed and #SpreadTheWord visuals taken during the weeks leading up to the event. Time: 6 PM. Location: 69 Pearl Street, Painesville. Contact: Catherine Bevan (440) 487-0368.

Jefferson High School will hold an interactive pledge campaign where students will showcase infographic posters and educational trivia games about the dangers of tobacco use. Time: 10:45 AM. Location: 207 W. Mulberry Street, Jefferson. Contact: Caroline Intihar (440) 637-1647.

Community Action for Capable Youth (CACY) in Mansfield will host its annual "Kick Butts with Art" show highlighting local youths' artwork portraying tobacco's damaging effects on health and quality of life. Students whose art is selected will be honored by political officials at the Richland County Longview Center. Time 5 PM. Location: 1495 West Longview Avenue, Mansfield. Contact: Brandy Dilgard (419) 651-3991.

Students from Harrison Hills School District in Cadiz will hold youth-lead educational activities to raise awareness of tobacco use and encourage prevention and cessation. Booths will be set up in various locations around the school to distribute resources. Time: 8 AM. Location: 730 Peppard Avenue, Cadiz. Contact: Kristen Foraker (740) 942-7714.

For a full list of Kick Butts Day activities in Ohio, 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