Permission granted to “KICK BUTTS”! | Community Spirit

The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD), in collaboration with other local organizations, will encourage youth to take a stand against big tobacco companies and educate their peers about the importance of not smoking on Kick Butts Day, Wednesday, March 20.

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism which empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against big tobacco companies. Health officials want to raise awareness of the tobacco problem, encourage youth to stay tobacco-free and urge strong action to protect kids from tobacco.

Representatives from the health department will be at the following locations on Wednesday, March 20, to distribute information and tips on smoking cessation:

• Benjamin Hooks Library
3030 Poplar Ave.
10 a.m. to noon

• University of Memphis-University Center
499 University
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The SCHD encourages individuals to tweet them (@ShelbyTNHealth) holding a sign describing why they quit smoking and their pictures will be “re-tweeted” throughout the day.

Every year in the United States 440,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, fires, heroin, homicide, motor vehicle crashes and suicide combined. Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable death in the country.

It is never too soon or too late to quit tobacco, but, left untreated, 60 percent of smokers are at risk of dying from complications. The good news is more people are quitting smoking than ever before; tobacco use now is at a 50-year low in the U.S.

More resources are available today to assist with tobacco cessation than ever before. Support and nicotine therapy products increase an individual’s likelihood of quitting tobacco by nearly 20-40 percent For information about the Tennessee Tobacco Quit Program, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.  Online resources are also available, including www.kickbuttsday.org and www.tobaccofreekids.org.