Youth across the country will speak out against tobacco companies for the 21st annual Kick Butts Day on March 16. Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, during which youth are encouraged to stay tobacco-free.
To help educate our local community, Bismarck Burleigh Public Health and local middle and high school SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapters are using the occasion to spread the word about how increasing the price of tobacco can reduce our youth smoking rates.
Youth smoking can be reduced by making tobacco less affordable. Increasing the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack can reduce youth smoking by nearly 23 percent. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, this reduction in youth smoking would prevent 6,700 youth under age 18 from becoming addicted to cigarettes, and would save 4,000 lives.
The 2014 Surgeon General’s report states that increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective methods to prevent youth from ever starting to use tobacco. Other steps that can help keep kids tobacco-free include: • Setting a smoke-free and tobacco-free example at home, at school, and in the community
• Eliminating fruit and candy flavors from all tobacco and nicotine products
• Eliminating candy-like packaging and slick marketing aimed at youth
“We’re looking forward to our Kick Butts Day activities because these events are great ways to get the community involved in preventing tobacco use,” said Jordyn Schaefbauer. “We are empowering youth to take a stand against big tobacco.”
To learn about Kick Butts Day programs taking place in your community, contact Bismarck Burleigh Public Health at (701)355-1595 or go to www.breathend.com to learn more about tobacco prevention.