Jefferson County Youth Stand Up to Big Tobacco and Break Up with Nic O. Tine

National Kick Butts Day, an annual day of activism empowering youth in local communities to “stand out, speak up, and seize control” against tobacco use and the targeting of youth by tobacco companies is Wednesday March 15, 2017. 


Tobacco use continues to plague our youth, and the cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies still heavily target youth spending more than 9 billion dollars on advertising and promotional expenses in the U.S. The Surgeon General reports that nearly nine out of 10 people who smoke, start by age 18, and 99% start before the age of 26.

Although Kick Butts Day is only one day out of the year, Breathe Easy (BE) Teams in Jefferson County are participating in activities to reduce the toll of tobacco in their schools and communities, thus making every day a day of activism and empowerment. BE Teams are youth clubs that are supported by their high schools and Jefferson County Public Health that educate their peers and community members about the problem of tobacco and advocate for sustainable solutions, including policy change. 


During the month of February, BE Teams participated in an interactive activity where they wrote break up and rejection letters to “Nic O. Tine,” a fictional character representing all tobacco products and the tobacco industry. Letters stated, “You’re killing my mom – stop taking her money,” and “I need a breather. You’re killing me.” The BE Teams helped organize and facilitate this activity during their schools’ lunch hours in order to educate, involve and inspire their peers. Watch Jeffco Public Schools’ video highlighting the BE Teams’ work!

For more information about efforts in Jefferson County to reduce the toll of tobacco, visit www.tobaccofreejeffco.com, email tobaccofree@jeffco.us or call 303-275-7555.

Kick Butts Day

National Kick Butts Day is Wednesday March 19, 2014! Although it is only one day out of the year, the goal is to make every day Kick Butts Day. The day empowers youth in our community to stand out, speak up and seize control against tobacco companies targeting youth. Visit Kickbuttsday.org to get ideas about encouraging youth to speak up.

In Jefferson County, The Tobacco-Free Jeffco Alliance & local youth Breath Easy (BE) Teams are hosting a Kick Butts Day Dinner and educational presentation. Come and enjoy a complimentary dinner and learn about how the tobacco industry is targeting youth with SWEET, CHEAP & DEADLY tobacco products. The dinner will be held March 19, 2014 from 5 -7 pm at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center in the Carnation Room. Please RSVP by March 14 to tobaccofree@jeffco.us .

If you’ve been trying to kick the habit, Jefferson County Public Health has resources to help. Click here for more information. The Quit Line, 1-800-Quit-Now is also a great resource for those who are on the path to quitting!

JCPH encourages families to learn more about some of the national tobacco prevention campaigns held in February and March 2014.

• February 17-24, 2014 Through With Chew Week, Watch a 5 minute video from the CDC showing the many tactics used by the tobacco industry to attract young and old to chew tobacco. 

• Great American Spit Out, February 21, 2014: On this day, chew tobacco users are asked to skip the dip and go just one day without tobacco. The day is just one component of Through with Chew Week. Chew tobacco users are also encouraged to watch The Sean Marsee Story, a powerful video of Sean’s brother telling the story of how Sean, a 19-year old track athlete, died from the effects of spit tobacco. 

• March 19, 2014, Kick Butts Day: A national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. Teachers, parents, youth and health advocates are encouraged to help raise awareness of the toll tobacco takes on our communities, encourage youth to stay tobacco-free and urge strong action to protect kids from tobacco. 

Visit www.tobaccofreejeffco.com to learn more about tobacco prevention initiatives in Jefferson County.

Sweet Cheap and Deadly . . . Jeffco Youth Raise Awareness of Tobacco Marketing Tactics

Jefferson County youth expressed concern about the candy-flavored, cheap tobacco products currently available in stores at the annual Breathe Easy (BE) Team Youth Advocacy Workshop back in October 2013. Motivated and alarmed by the tobacco industry’ s marketing tactics, the students came together and developed the concept for “Sweet, Cheap and Deadly,” an educational campaign to raise awareness about how the tobacco industry is targeting youth. Using strategies such as retail-level promotions, discounted pricing and the use of flavors and additives intended to attract and addict young people, the tobacco industry lures youth to their products. The Sweet, Cheap and Deadly campaign involves observational scans to assess tobacco industry marketing in local retail outlets as well as educational outreach at schools, counter marketing activities and opportunities to speak with local leaders about the problem of cheap, flavored tobacco. During the week of February 10, 2014, BE Teams will host information tables at Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Jefferson and Alameda High Schools to educate their peers about deceptive tobacco industry tactics. Outreach will include collecting signatures from students who are interested in taking a stand against Big Tobacco’s concerted efforts to manipulate teens. BE Team students will have a chance to present what they learned to community members on Kick Butts Day (March 19, 2014), a national day of activism to empower youth to speak out against the tobacco industry.

If you would like to know more about the “Sweet, Cheap and Deadly” campaign or the BE Team, contact Christie Preston, Youth Engagement Coordinator at Jefferson County Public Health at 303-275-7565 or cpreston@jeffco.us.

The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report released last month highlighted the fact that tobacco control efforts have averted at least 8 million early deaths since 1965, but there is still much work to be done. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 5.6 million children alive today will die prematurely from smoking unless steps are made to stop the tobacco epidemic. View the devastating effects of smoking in Colorado and across the country.