Anti-smoking events set for communities nationwide on March 20

WASHINGTON — The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is organizing more than 1,200 events across the country to promote smoking abstinence and cessation.

The group announced Friday the 18th annual Kick Butts Day, on March 20, in which young people will encourage peers to stay tobacco-free and educate their communities about the health effects of smoking. While youth smoking rates have gone down, 18.1% of high school students still smoke, the group said.

Meanwhile, according to the Federal Trade Commission, tobacco companies spend $8.5 billion per year marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products and have introduced new products that the group said appeal to young people, such as cheap, sweet, colorfully packaged small cigars that look like cigarettes.