Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Gabrielle Kennedy of Puckett, Miss., As Youth Advocate of the Year

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gabrielle Kennedy, 18, of Puckett, Miss., has been named a Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Gabby was honored for her leadership in the fight against tobacco last night in Washington, D.C.

Gabby has focused on strengthening smoke-free laws in her town to better protect citizens and visitors from secondhand smoke, regularly presenting at town hall meetings and community events. On a state level, Gabby testified before the Mississippi Legislature in support of a $1.50 tobacco tax increase. As a National Youth Ambassador for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Gabby traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for strong FDA oversight of e-cigarettes and cigars. A senior at The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Gabby will attend Baylor University in the fall.

"We are thrilled to honor Gabrielle Kennedy as a Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Young leaders like Gabby are standing up to the tobacco industry, inspiring their peers to be tobacco-free and encouraging elected officials to take action. They are helping create the first tobacco-free generation."

Over 400 public health, business, civic and political leaders attended the Youth Advocates of the Year awards ceremony to recognize Gabby and other youth advocates from across the country. The winners received scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and will serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 480,000 Americans and costing the nation $170 billion in health care bills each year. Tobacco kills 7 million people worldwide each year.

In Mississippi, tobacco use claims 5,400 lives and costs $1.2 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 15.2 percent of Mississippi's high school students smoke and 22.9 percent use e-cigarettes.

Additional information about the youth award winners and the toll of tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids