March 31 is known as, “Take Down Tobacco Day.” It is a day in which students and teachers spread awareness of the dangers of tobacco. The national day of action calls out tobacco for targeting kids, by making flavored tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, available to them. On March 31, young people all over the world will rally with advocates to call out tobacco for endangering the youth.

     A youth advocacy program, created by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, equips young people with the abilities to change their communities in a positive way. The goal is to try to help make the very first tobacco and nicotine-free generation.

     Someone may ask, “Why fight tobacco?” Over 480,000 Americans and about 6 million people worldwide, die from tobacco every year. The number 1 cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. is simply tobacco. Tobacco is a big issue that needs to be dealt with. Although the United States has made stupendous progress in the war with tobacco, about 1,900 youth under the age of 18 still try their first nicotine product each day. Even though smoking rates have reduced about 76% since the year of 1996, about 5.6 million kids that are currently alive may die prematurely from smoking some sort of nicotine product. These results are if strong action to prevent this from happening, doesn’t happen right away.

     Tia Adam, a freshman at Hamburg Area High School, feels that it is important to fight tobacco especially because it kills people everyday. 

     For more information about “Take Down Tobacco Day,” visit https://www.takingdowntobacco.org and https://www.takedowntobacco.org.