National Tobacco Prevention Day Of Action Revamped
This year for the 25th anniversary of their National Tobacco Prevention Day Of Action, the Campaign for Tobacco- free Kids decided to create a fresh take on Kick Butts Day.
This year, the organization decided to change the name of the day of action to Take Down Tobacco Day and, rather than it be just a single day of action, announced that it is a year-round effort culminating every March with the Take Down Tobacco Day of Action. It is their signature platform for empowering people to stand up and speak out against the tobacco industry.
This year’s Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action will be held on March 18 and there have been many important victories since the first Kick Butts Day was held in 1996.
Over the past quarter century, the U.S. has made remarkable progress in doing just what the former Kick Butts Day name describes: kicking butts. But even though youth smoking rates are on a downward trend and at an all-time low, skyrocketing youth e-cigarette use rates are reversing the progress previously made toward achieving the first tobacco- free generation. And of course, from cigarettes and cigars to smokeless tobacco to heat-not-burn cigarettes, the tobacco industry peddles a wide range of addictive and dangerous products that put kids at risk across the globe. Take Down Tobacco is a reflection of both how far we've come and how far we still need to go to achieve the first tobacco-free generation.
On March 18, the Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action, youth activists, educators, parents, health advocates and concerned citizens come together to organize events that:
•Raise awareness of the problem of tobacco use in their community.
•Encourage youth to reject the tobacco industry’s deceptive marketing and stay tobacco- free.
•Urge elected officials to take action to protect kids from tobacco.
For questions regarding Take Down Tobacco Day, visit www.takedowntobacco.org or contact A.J. Allen, tobacco prevention specialist for Roosevelt County, at 653-6212.
