Eldorado students create anti-tobacco message
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">ELDORADO – Eldorado students, with the guidance of the Egyptian Health Department, created an anti-tobacco message at the Eldorado Middle School as part of "Kick Butts Day."
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The day is a national health awareness campaign to educate students about the dangers of tobacco products. This year's message concerns flavored tobacco products and electronic cigarettes and cigars, which the organization behind Kick Butts Day says is marketed toward children. Participants also were urged to contact local, state and federal lawmakers and ask them to work on anti-tobacco laws.
<span style="color: #000000;">"On Kick Butts Day, kids stand up to the tobacco industry, and our nation's leaders must stand with them," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We've made great strides in reducing youth smoking, but candy-flavored products like e-cigarettes and cigars threaten this progress. We need strong FDA regulation to protect kids from these sweet-flavored products. And elected officials at all levels should support proven strategies that prevent youth tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws, funding prevention programs and raising the tobacco age to 21."</span>
<span style="color: #000000;">Eldorado High School students created a message in the EMS chain link fence that reads "TOBACC-NO!" EMS Junior Beta Club members later viewed and stood next to the message.</span>
<span style="color: #000000;">EMS Principal Billy Tippett said it's important for all young people to know the dangers of tobacco products.</span>
<span style="color: #000000;">"I think it's important with all the research that's out now that tells us tobacco's harmful," Tippett said. "You've always heard it, but there's more scientific research out there than ever that confirms it. It's not a matter of maybe it is or maybe it isn't. It definitely is."</span>