LINCOLN, Neb.– Nearly 100 Nebraska teens gathered at the State Capitol Wednesday for a Kick Butts Day rally against Big Tobacco.
The event was organized by No Limits, Nebraska’s youth-led-anti-tobacco movement, as part of a nationwide Kick Butts Day tobacco awareness campaign.
At the rally, No Limits Youth Board member Joanna Hejl of Lincoln spoke about how No Limits made her aware of ways tobacco companies market their products to young people.
“This spurred me to look beyond the health consequences of tobacco and all the nasty chemicals inside of products and see the bigger picture,” Hejl said. “Tobacco companies manipulate the marketplace by tapping into selected, vulnerable demographics and addicting them to their deadly products.”
In 2013 Hejl was named Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which promotes Kick Butts Day events across the country.
Fellow Youth Board member Kelly Carroll of Malcolm told the teens that they can fight Big Tobacco from anywhere. “There are no limits to what Big Tobacco will do to market their deadly and addictive products, and there are No Limits to what Nebraska’s teens will do to stop them,” Carroll said.
The No Limits group began the day by meeting with individual state senators to discuss tobacco issues affecting youth. At the rally, State Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln encouraged the youth to continue their work.
No limits is open to all Nebraska youth in grades 7-12. To learn more or to apply for a position on the No Limits Youth Board visit NoLimitsNebraska.com.
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