EAST STROUDSBURG / WESTFALL - Kids in Pennsylvania will take center stage in the fight against tobacco on March 21 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 17th annual Kick Butts Day.

East Stroudsburg and Delaware Valley high schools are two of the districts taking part.  

• Students in Youth Infusion, the tobacco-free group at East Stroudsburg Area High School in East Stroudsburg, will educate their peers about tobacco by displaying information about ingredients in cigarettes, creating original artwork featuring anti-tobacco messaging, exposing Big Tobacco’s advertising tactics and sharing samples of what smokers’ clothing smells like.
• Students at Delaware Valley High School in Milford will mark the number of daily deaths attributable to tobacco use by continually updating a death toll billboard throughout the day.

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 use. On Kick Butts Day, youth will encourage their peers to stay tobacco-free and educate their communities about the dangers of tobacco and the tobacco industry’s harmful marketing practices.

This year, Kick Butts Day comes just after a new report by the U.S. Surgeon General found that while the nation has made tremendous progress in reducing youth smoking, youth tobacco use remains a “pediatric epidemic” that requires urgent action. The Surgeon General’s report reached the following conclusions:

• While the high school smoking rate has been cut nearly in half since the mid-1990s, more than 3.6 million middle and high school students still smoke.
• In addition to long-term consequence such as cancer and heart disease, tobacco use immediately harms the health of youth and young adults. Smoking quickly causes nicotine addiction, cardiovascular damage, slower lung growth and shortness of breath.
• Tobacco marketing causes kids to start and continue using tobacco products. Tobacco companies spend more than $10 billion a year – more than $1 million an hour – to advertise and promote their products.
• Science and experience have identified proven strategies to reduce youth tobacco use. These include mass media campaigns, increasing the price of cigarettes through higher tobacco taxes, smoke-free policies and school and community prevention programs.

“Kids are sending two powerful messages on Kick Butts Day: They want the tobacco companies to stop targeting them, and they want elected leaders to protect them from tobacco,” said Matthew Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “We know how to win the fight against tobacco. Elected officials across the nation should support these proven solutions, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws and well-funded tobacco prevention programs.”