Where NJ will ‘Kick Butts’ Wednesday to battle Big Tobacco

At least 11 spots in New Jersey are prepared to kick butt(s) on Wednesday, weather permitting.

As part of more than 1,000 events nationwide designed to "empower youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco," community and school leaders throughout the Garden State have something planned for Kick Butts Day, a program from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

NJ locations with planned events (list provided by the Campaign):

• Trenton Central High School — 9th Grade Academy
• William Paterson University, Student Center (Wayne)
• Ramapo Ridge Middle School (Mahwah)
• Absegami High School (Galloway)
• Glen Meadow Middle School (Vernon)
• Kittatinny Regional High School (Newton)
• Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
• Senator Frank Lautenberg School (Paterson)
• Saint Augustine Presbyterian Church (Paterson)
• 4-H Office (Newark)
• Washington Borough (Warren County)

Event agendas vary from location to location. According to descriptions provided by the Campaign, features include pledge walls, tobacco-related Jeopardy, an anti-tobacco rally, and tombstones depicting the ultimate consequence of a lifetime of smoking.

According to the state Department of Health, 8.2 percent of New Jersey high-schoolers smoke. Fourteen percent of adults are current cigarette smokers — the sixth-lowest prevalence rate nationwide.

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.