Youthlinks and RDHS Air Out Big Tobacco’s Dirty Laundry

Kick Butts Day is a nationally celebrated day of activism that puts the spotlight on big tobacco companies and the harsh consequences of tobacco use, especially among youth. The goal of the program is to reveal the truth about big tobacco companies and highlight the dangerous consequences of smoking. Youthlinks Program Manager and Project SUCCESS Coordinator Hilary Flagg collaborated again this year with RSU 13 District Health Coordinator Woody Moore , RDHS nurse Ilmi Carter, and the Knox County Community Health Coalition’s Nancy Laite to organize a Kick Butts Day exhibit at Rockland District High School entitled “Airing Out Big Tobacco’s Dirty Laundry.”

The exhibit was prominently featured in the frequently trafficked cafeteria hallway at RDHS, where students walking by could read messages and statistics that were displayed on t-shirts hanging from a clothesline. These messages included: the annual Maine healthcare cost directly caused by tobacco ($602,000,000); the chemicals included in cigarettes (ammonia, arsenic, cadmium, formaldehyde); the number of Maine youth currently under age 18 who will die prematurely as a result of tobacco (29,200); the percentage of adult smokers who began using tobacco as teenagers (90%); and excerpts from secret memos within big tobacco companies that reveal just how well those manufacturers understand the addictive and deadly nature of their products.

In addition to the Dirty Laundry exhibit, students were encouraged to stop by a resource table staffed by Flagg during their lunch period to pick up informational pamphlets, ask questions, and pick up a small bottle of bubbles as a reminder to “Blow Bubbles, Not Smoke.” In all, it is estimated that nearly all of Rockland’s 400+ students saw the exhibit, and approximately 150 stopped by the table to learn more and grab a giveaway.