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Take Down Tobacco is a fresh take on the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ signature platform Kick Butts Day. It is designed to empower people to stand up and speak out against the tobacco industry. The Take Down Tobacco program is a 365-day-a-year effort that culminates every March with the Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action (Kick Butts Day). This year, it is being held on Wednesday, March 18. It marks the 25th anniversary of this event since the first Kick Butts Day.

Youth tobacco rates are presently at a 20-year high in the U.S. due to the worsening youth e-cigarette epidemic, and tobacco is still the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. and across the globe. Additionally, in

2019, 12.5 percent of middle school students and 31 percent of high schoolers reported current use of a tobacco product. On March 18, everyone (including parents, grandparents, and elected leaders) are asked to stand with young people as they stand up to Take Down Tobacco.

According to recent statistics, 6.2 million kids used tobacco products in 2019. The current epidemic of e-cigarettes is contributing to this problem as it targets young smokers, while also serving as a convenient justification for older smokers to embrace what they feel is a somewhat ‘safer’ way to smoke. Evidence is mounting that shows that nicotine in any form is still the most highly addictive drug on the market, to the point that the FDA has banned many flavored e-cigarettes.

“Children are three times more likely to smoke if a parent or guardian smokes,” says Mike Rogers, CEO of Smoking Cessation Trust (SCT). “While SCT’s primary target audience is Louisiana citizens who smoked their first cigarette before Sept. 1, 1988, we are also committed to helping the next generation go smoke-free. To that end, we continue to encourage Louisiana legislators to follow the lead of the Federal government by raising the age to purchase tobacco products to 21. Regardless of age, we are committed to saving everyone from the dangers of nicotine addiction in all its forms.”

“As the number of children impacted by nicotine addiction, lung injury and tobacco-related illnesses continues to be a significant problem in Louisiana, I am extremely proud of the efforts of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids bringing attention to the dangers of tobacco and smoking,” said Juan J. Gershanik, MD, president, Orleans Parish Medical Society (OPMS) and medical director of West Jefferson Medical Center’s NICU. “OPMS applauds the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, SCT and the army of young leaders who are committed to Take Down Tobacco on March 18 and every day. Hopefully, Louisiana’s elected officials are listening this year and will share in our concerns on this relevant health problem.”

As a neonatologist, Dr. Gershanik witnesses first-hand the effects of nicotine addiction on the health of newborns. He has advocated strongly for Tobacco 21 initiative at the 2019 Louisiana legislative session and supports efforts to eliminate the sale of all flavored tobacco products.

Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. According to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, smoking accounts for 6,500 deaths in our state every year contributing significantly to our state’s challenging health status, which costs taxpayers $1.89 billion dollars annually in actual healthcare expenditures and $2.49 billion in lost productivity.

Through observances like Take Down Tobacco/Kick Butts Day and other annual smoking-related observances and events, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids aims to explain the dangers of cigarettes to this young, vulnerable audience while empowering them to stand up and fight back.

SCT, in addition to its work with numerous statewide health providers, has registered more than 107,000 eligible Louisianan smokers with the message that quitting is one of the best things they can do for their health, their families and their finances.

For more information or to apply for the free products and services provided by the Trust, visit www.smokefreela.org; call locally at 504-529-5665 or toll-free at 855-259-6346. Ann Wills of the Smoking Cessation Trust submitted this article. She can be contacted at 504-494-3810 or ann@awillspr.com.