Arkansas Kids 'Kick Butts' on March 25

Health Advocates Urge Congress to Crack Down on Tobacco Marketing to Kids

Kids across Arkansas will rally against tobacco on March 25 as they join
thousands of young people nationwide for the 14th annual Kick Butts Day,
sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Hundreds of events are
planned across the nation (for a list of local events, go to
www.kickbuttsday.org/events).

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This year, Kick Butts Day is raising awareness about continued tobacco
marketing to kids and the need for Congress to crack down on these harmful
practices by passing legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products.

Kick Butts Day comes on the heels of a new study by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) that demonstrated how tobacco marketing continues
to influence kids. The study found that youth smokers overwhelmingly prefer
the three most heavily advertised cigarette brands - Philip Morris' Marlboro,
Lorillard's Newport and R.J. Reynolds' Camel. These brands were preferred by
78.2 percent of middle school smokers and 86.5 percent of high school smokers.
Marlboro is preferred by more high school smokers, 52.3 percent, than all
other brands combined.

To protect kids from tobacco addiction and save lives, health advocates are
urging Congress to pass legislation granting the FDA authority to regulate
tobacco products. The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the
legislation earlier this month.

Among other things, this legislation would crack down on tobacco marketing and
sales to kids. It would limit tobacco advertising in stores and in magazines
with significant teen readership to black-and-white text only, eliminating the
colorful images that depict smoking as cool and glamorous. It would ban
outdoor tobacco advertising near schools and playgrounds; end tobacco
sponsorships of sports and entertainment events; and require stores to place
tobacco products behind the counter.

"We hope Kick Butts Day will inspire our nation's leaders to take long-overdue
action to protect our children from tobacco and save lives," said Matthew L.
Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Tobacco products are the
No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, yet they have escaped
even the most basic regulation to protect public health. It's time for
Congress to end this special protection for the tobacco industry and protect
our nation's kids and health instead."

In addition to the marketing restrictions, the bill before Congress would
require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products; ban
misleading cigarette descriptions such as "light" and "low-tar;" strictly
regulate all health claims about tobacco products; require disclosure of the
contents of tobacco products; and allow the FDA to mandate changes in tobacco
products, such as the reduction or removal of harmful chemicals.

At the state level, health advocates are urging governors and legislators to
adopt proven measures to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke,
including higher tobacco taxes, smoke-free workplace laws, and well-funded
programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.

Since the 1998 tobacco settlement, tobacco companies have nearly doubled their
annual marketing expenditures, from $6.9 billion in 1998 to $13.4 billion in
2005 - more than $36 million per day, according to the Federal Trade
Commission. In Arkansas, tobacco companies spend $160.5 million a year to
market their products.

Nationwide, tobacco use kills more than 400,000 people and costs the nation
$96 billion in health care bills each year, and 20 percent of high school
students smoke. In Arkansas, tobacco use claims 4,900 lives and costs the
state $812 million in health care bills a year, and 20.7 percent of high
school students smoke.

On Kick Butts Day, kids turn the tables on Big Tobacco with events that range
from "They put WHAT in a cigarette?" demonstrations to mock-funerals for the
Marlboro Man to rallies at state capitols. Activities in Arkansas include (all
events are on March 25 unless otherwise noted):

In Little Rock, the Youth Extinguishing Smoking (Y.E.S.) Team, the Tobacco
Prevention and Cessation Program at the Arkansas Department of Health, the
Arkansas Department of Education Office of Coordinated School Health and the
city of Little Rock's K.I.C.K. Coalition will lead anti-tobacco youth
advocates in a parade to the Capitol to educate elected officials about
tobacco's toll on Arkansas residents. The parade will end on the Capitol
steps. Time: 10:30 AM. Location: Front Steps, Arkansas State Capitol
Building, Intersection of Capital Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive,
Little Rock. Contact: Genine Perez (501) 240-6064.

On April 7 at Dumas High School's Annual Family Night in Dumas, students will
compete to produce the best Knock Out Tobacco advertisement. The event will
be held in the Dumas High School Physical Ed Gym. Time: 3:45 PM. Location:
709 Dan Gill Drive, Dumas. Contact: Susan Stewart (870) 377-0506.

Note to the media: For a list of Kick Butts Day events in Arkansas visit
www.kickbuttsday.org/events. Additional information about tobacco, including
state-by-state statistics, can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

CONTACT: Jen Deets, 202-745-5110, or Nicole Dueffert, 202-296-5469, both of
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- March 20/
SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids