Over a thousand letters in support of the County's new, tougher anti-smoking law will be delivered by students from across Nassau County to elected officials on Kick Butts Day, Wednesday, April 2, 2003.

Presentation of the letters will take place on the steps of One West Street, Mineola, at 2:00 p.m. on April 2nd, Kick Butts Day. Students from elementary, middle and high schools will read their letters and present the more than one thousand letters to County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi, Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs and other Nassau County Legislators, congratulating them for passing Nassau County's new comprehensive anti-smoking law.

One poignant letter from a 16-year-old Long Beach student states: "My father is a smoker and I know he'll end up with medical problems caused by smoking. A close friend of mine has recently lost her mother from lung cancer. The thought of losing a mother is devastating. She and her brother have been robbed of a mother due to smoking…."

Kick Butts Day is an annual initiative that encourages activism and leadership among young adults. It is the day that America's youth stand up to tobacco, and America's adults stand up for youths.

The new anti-smoking law, which went into effect March 1, 2003, prohibits smoking in virtually all workplaces in Nassau County, including many places where smoking had previously been permitted. This law ensures, to the greatest extent possible, that no person's work-related duties require exposure to second-hand smoke.

For additional information call the Nassau County Department of Health at (516) 571-3411.