Delco Kicks Butt on March 20!

Delaware County Tobacco Free Coalition raises awareness about dangers of tobacco use

The Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition is once again participating in Kick Butts Day, a day designated to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use among youth.

March 20 is National Kick Butts Day, a day of activism that empowers youth across the country to “stand out, speak up and seize control” against tobacco use. During Kick Butts Day, students are encouraged to stay tobacco-free and to educate one another about the risks of tobacco use.

Each day, more than 3,000 children under the age of 18 experiments with tobacco for the first time. Currently, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth. According to the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, three million high school students and 570,000 middle school students reported they have used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, claiming the lives of 480,000 people each year.

To raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, the Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition is sponsoring a Kick Butts Day event at Springton Lake Middle School on March 20. Springton Lake Middle School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) will be having week-long activities on various topics and on March 20 will focus on tobacco use. The Delaware County Tobacco-Free Coalition will have an informational table at the school on March 20 to educate students on the risks of using e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes, and other tobacco products. In addition, the Coalition will have a pledge banner for students to sign to commit to not using tobacco products and giveaways to promote the mission of staying tobacco-free. There will also be information about Pennsylvania’s statewide movement “Tobacco Resistance Unit (TRU)” managed by the American Lung Association in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT) for students who want to continue their activism against tobacco use.

Students from across the County are encouraged to participate in Kicks Butts Day. More information and resources can be found here: www.kickbuttsday.org. Tobacco users who want to quit can contact the PA Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.