Chanting anti-tobacco slogans and listening to slam poetry, a group of 150 students from around the state gathered at the state Capitol yesterday lobbying for higher taxes on tobacco products.

"Other tobacco products have to go," they chanted, referring to chewing tobacco and other non-cigarette products. "Youth speaks," they said.

As lawmakers were poised yesterday to discuss several measures that would affect the tobacco settlement yesterday — a critical source of funds for their anti-smoking programs — the students wanted to remind lawmakers that they shouldn't be tempted to tap into anti-smoking funds to balance the budget, or they'd risk affecting the success of anti-smoking campaigns.

"We're here today because they are talking about raiding the funds and it will affect many of our programs in the Kalihi area," said Lavelle Ramos-Dias, a Kokua Kalihi Valley health educator. "The fund is for us. If they raid it, it won't be there."

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona praised their efforts to get the message out.

"You have made some significant gains in the (lower) number of smokers in the last seven years," Aiona told the gathering. "The fight is not over."

Aiona proclaimed yesterday as Kick Butts Day, a nationwide event empowering youth to speak up and take action against tobacco companies. Many of the students at yesterday's rally belong to REAL: Hawai'i Youth Exposing the Tobacco Industry, a teen movement that uses word of mouth, music, video, dance and art to promote anti-smoking efforts. The organization was started with the help of money from Hawai'i's share of the national settlement with tobacco companies.

Students also represented other groups: the Peer Education Program, the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island, Moloka'i Tobacco Free Partnership, American Lung Association, Teenline Hawaii, MADD Youth in Action, Alu Like of Hana, Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi, Kokua Kalihi Valley Health Center and YouthBank.

Their numbers tell the story of fewer teens experimenting with cigarettes. According to a state Department of Education survey:

• 14.7 percent of the middle school students surveyed in 2007 have tried cigarettes, down from 38.4 percent in 2000. In high school, about 38.3 percent of the students tried smoking in 2007, compared with 63.3 percent reporting smoking in 2000.

• 9.7 percent of the high school students in 2007 said they smoked at least once in the previous 30 days, compared with 24.5 percent in 2000. Among middle-schoolers, only 4.2 percent said they smoked within the 30 days prior to the survey in 2007, compared with 12.9 percent in 2000.

The decline in the number of smokers in Hawai'i isn't limited to teenagers; fewer adults also are smoking these days.

The state Department of Health yesterday announced a drop in the number of Hawai'i adults smoking — 15.4 percent last year compared with 17 percent in 2007.

That's roughly 14,000 fewer smokers in Hawai'i, and Hawai'i now has among the lowest smoking rates for adults in the country, the DOH said.

After the rally in front of the Capitol, the students lunched with lawmakers and made personal visits to lawmakers, urging them to increase taxes on all tobacco products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco and smokeless tobacco.

"We have to be strong and united," said Michelle Magdirila, a Moloka'i High School senior.

Paka Adolpho, an eighth-grader who attended the rally, raised his hand and chanted in unison with other teens. He missed school yesterday so he could tell lawmakers not to lower the tax on tobacco products, and instead raise it.

"Research shows that the more tobacco products cost, the less people use it," Adolpho said. "I'm an athlete. I don't think about doing drugs or smoking."

Catherine Leskovec, a 17-year-old Kapolei High School senior, said she has never been an activist before. She's concerned that the tobacco companies keep making products that look more like candy than cigarettes.

"I hope the Legislature listens to us," Leskovec said. "We hope they remove the products and raise the tax on the products so fewer people buy the products."