March 16, 2016 is Kick Butts Day. Kick Butts Day is a day of activism to empower youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco nationwide. Events are organized to raise awareness of the problems of tobacco, encourage youth to reject the tobacco industry’s marketing, to stay tobacco free and to urge elected officials to take action to protect kids from tobacco.
According to the Kick Butt’s Day website, 3,000 kids under the age of 18 try smoking every
day and 700 of them become regular smokers. The best way to stop smoking is to never start. Kick Butt’s Day brings awareness to the problem of tobacco. This day is so important to our youth for so many reasons, especially their future health!
Cigarettes are bad for you. Any type of tobacco is not good for you. It’s that simple. Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of cancer. Tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, 250 of which are known to be harmful including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Of these 250 harmful chemicals, at least 69 are known to cause cancer. Many people associate smoking with lung cancer, but tobacco smoking can lead to cancer of the esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, colon and rectum, let alone a number of other medical issues.
What better way to protect the health of young people everywhere than to promote Kick Butt’s Day! The Kick Butt’s Day website offers ways to get involved, plan an event or activity, opportunities to publicize your event, and resources to help you celebrate Kick Butt’s Day. Get involved, get your kids involved, and don’t start smoking!