Children And Cigarette > (NAPSA)—Scientists say it’s no coincidence that almost 90 percent of adults who have ever smoked lit up for the first time when they were 18 or younger. Tobacco com- panies have targeted their marketing to teens for decades. On Kick Butts Day, April 3, 2002, kids across America will take charge and encourage Americans to shut out big tobacco. “We continue to hold the tobacco industry accountable for the thousandsof deaths that could be avoided if kids were not lured into smoking by tobacco’s marketing tactics,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, sponsor of Kick Butts Day. “On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up to tobacco with one powerful voice.” Now in its seventh year, Kick Butts Day is the nation’s largest youth-led anti-tobacco initiative and the message is being spread worldwide. On Kick Butts Day, kids will: Put “Mr. Butts”on trial; Rip out and dumpbig tobacco’s magazineads; Rally at state capital in support of tobacco prevention policies; Survey retail store tobacco advertising in their neighborhoods; Tell other kids about the dangers of smoking, which kills more than 400,000 Americans each year—more than alcohol, illegal drugs, murder,suicide, car accidents, fires, and AIDS combined. On Kick Butts Day 2001, kids participated in more than 1,600 events in every state, as well as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Prominent Americans who stood up with kids across the country included U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, members of the Washington Freedom professional women’s soccer team, Olympic Speed Skating Medallist Leah Pools and membersof the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, to name a few. Once again, the Campaignwill partner with Girl Scouts USA on Kick Butts Day. “Kids are a powerful part of the solution to reducing youth tobacco use,” Myers said. “They prove this on Kick Butts Day.” The Campaign For TobaccoFree Kids is working to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, especially among children, and to minimize the harm caused by tobacco. The Campaign works to focus the nation’s attention and action on curbing tobacco marketing and advertising targeted at children, making tobacco less accessible to kids, and protecting kids from exposure to secondhand smoke. For a free Kick Butts Day activity guide, visit the Kick Butts Day Website at www.kickbuttsday.org. Guides can also be requested by calling toll-free, 866-889-7106 or by fax at 866-889-7108. For more information on how to reduce the harm caused by tobacco use, visit www.tobaccofreekids.org.
