Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 03/19/25
Contact: Kelly Dremann Tobacco Cessation Coordinator & Health Educator 330-674-5035 ext. 224 kdremann@holmeshealth.org
NEWS RELEASE
Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action Millersburg, OH –
On Tuesday, April 1st, 2025, join the Holmes County General Health District in participating in the Take Down Tobacco National Day of Action.
For nearly 30 years, the National Day of Action has been an opportunity for youth and youth advocates to speak out against the tobacco industry, promote the reduction of youth tobacco use, and advocate for change that would protect kids. Originally called Kick Butts Day, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids began this annual day in 1996, with thousands of young people and groups participating each year. As youth smoking rates declined over the years, new tobacco products like e-cigarettes emerged, threatening overall progress as the tobacco industry used the same tactics to market their products to kids. In 2019, The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids renamed their National Day of Action to Take Down Tobacco Day, representing both the progress made and the continued work needed to be done to prevent youth tobacco use.
A 2014 study found that retail stores that sell tobacco have on average 29.5 tobacco advertisements displayed. The tobacco industry primarily promotes their products at the point of sale, where they spend most of their marketing expenditure on advertisements, product placement, and price discounts in retail stores. This amounts to nearly $1 million being spent to market their products every hour in the United States. Since 90% of tobacco use begins before the age of 18, the tobacco industry has a long history of targeting young people as their next potential customers. To target youths in retail stores, tobacco companies intentionally put advertisements within three feet of the floor, or at a child’s eye level, and many tobacco products are placed within a foot from candy, soda, and other youth- appealing products. The 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 59.8% of U.S. middle school students and 69.7% of U.S. high school students were exposed to tobacco marketing in retail stores. Exposure to marketing and promotions can prompt youth experimentation and progression to regular use. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, kids are three times as sensitive to tobacco advertisements compared to adults, meaning they are more likely to be influenced by the advertisements they see.
Frequent exposure to tobacco marketing also normalizes tobacco, increasing the odds of youth tobacco use.
Most tobacco products come in appealing flavors, like candy, fruit, and desserts that appeal to kids. The availability of flavored products is one of the main reasons youths give for having tried an e-cigarette or another product, with more than 80% of youths that have used a tobacco product before reporting having begun with a flavored product. The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that more than 85% of U.S. youths reporting current use of e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches use flavored varieties. Without the availability of flavors, youth tobacco use would likely decline. Recognizing that flavors appeal to youths, the FDA has only authorized 34 e-cigarettes for sale in either tobacco or menthol flavor. Despite this, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of June 2024, there are approximately 6,300 e-cigarette products for sale in the United States, with unauthorized e-cigarettes making up 86% of the market and flavored e-cigarettes making up 80.6% of total e-cigarette sales. With thousands of unauthorized, flavored e-cigarettes for sale, youths are too easily able to access these addicting products.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free kids, each day in the United States, approximately 4,200 U.S. kids try an e-cigarette for the first time and an additional 1,300 kids try smoking for the first time. There is no safe tobacco or nicotine product. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease, death, and disability in the United States. Over 16 million U.S. adults live with a smoking-related disease and 480,000 die each year because of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. Take Down Tobacco Day encourages everyone to speak out against the tobacco industry and to advocate for a healthier, tobacco- free future. To participate, share your reason for advocating against tobacco. Go to takedowntobacco.org/activation-2025.