Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Merritt McLaughlin of Dover, NH as Youth Advocate...

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Merritt McLaughlin of Dover, NH as Youth
Advocate of the Year

--Leadership in Fight Against Tobacco Recognized Nationally--

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Merritt McLaughlin, 15, of Dover
has been named the East Regional Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign
for Tobacco-Free Kids for her leadership in the fight against tobacco.
Merritt is being honored at a gala in the nation's capital on May 20 along
with a national winner, international grant winner, three other regional
winners and a group winner.

Merritt, a freshman at Dover High School, is an advocate, an activist and a
dedicated leader. In Dover, Merritt is involved in educating her peers through
community-based awareness projects and has appeared on television and helped
record multiple public service announcements. Merritt also testified before
the New Hampshire Legislature in favor of both the state smoke-free air act
and an increase in tobacco prevention funding. In both 2006 and 2007, Merritt
participated in demonstrations at the Altria/Philip Morris shareholder
meeting. She addressed Altria executives about their marketing practices
targeted towards youth.

More than 400 public health, political, civic and business leaders will attend
the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' twelfth annual anniversary gala in
Washington, D.C., to recognize these young leaders. The winners will receive
educational scholarships and grants to continue their prevention efforts and
serve as ambassadors for the Campaign.

"Merritt McLaughlin and other young leaders from across the nation are making
great strides against youth tobacco addiction and their voices are being
heard," said Matthew L. Myers, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids president.
"Every day, 1,000 kids in the United States become regular smokers and
one-third of them will die prematurely from tobacco-caused disease. Almost 90
percent of adult smokers began at or before the age of 18. Youth are powerful
allies in the fight to turn these trends around."

In New Hampshire, more than 20 percent of high school students smoke, and
2,100 kids become daily smokers every year. Every year, tobacco use kills
1,800 residents and costs the state over $564 million in health care bills.
Nationally, tobacco use kills more than 400,000 people and costs the nation
more than $96 billion in health care costs each year.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leader in the fight to reduce tobacco
use and its devastating consequences in the United States and around the
world. By changing public attitudes and public policies on tobacco, the
Campaign strives to prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit and protect
everyone from secondhand smoke.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Nicole Dueffert of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, +1-202-296-5469