Tobacco Danger

More than 400,000 people in the United States will die this year from a tobacco-related disease.

For Kick Butts Day this year, SWAT students from Avon Park and Sebring high schools are taking a stand to stop youth from getting hooked on deadly tobacco products.

We know that 90 percent of smokers start using tobacco regularly at or before 18 years of age. Isn't this astonishing? So in order to give kids a fighting chance, we plan to have the students take a pledge declaring their freedom against the big tobacco companies that are trying to get them hooked on their candy-flavored products.

Throughout the year, these young advocates take part in a variety of activities to protect kids from tobacco, including working with elected officials to develop policies that reduce youth tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, and educating their peers about tobacco companies' deceptive marketing practices.

There are many effective ways state and local officials can protect young people from tobacco. They can increase tobacco taxes, and they can pass smoke-free laws to protect us from secondhand smoke.

Consider these facts: Each day, more than 1,000 kids become new regular smokers; roughly one-third of them will die prematurely from a tobacco-related disease.

Today's youth are not just part of the problem; they're part of the solution. And the students from Highlands County want tobacco companies to know that on Kick Butts Day and every day throughout the year, we're going to fight them every step of the way!

Donna Stayton
Tobacco Prevention Specialist
Highlands County Health Department
Sebring