Great American Smokeout: Put Out Your Cigarettes

Many believe this new procedure will decrease the number of college students who come to campus addicted to smoking, which will provide a healthier, cleaner and more productive place for students, faculty and staff. According to the Institute of Medicine, the public health benefits of preventing people under age 21 from buying tobacco products could be tremendous. Long term benefits to non-smokers include reducing the chance of dying prematurely from smoking related diseases by 60 percent, a lower risk of stroke, and improvement in overall physical appearance.

Today about one in five American adults, more than 43.6 million people, smoke cigarettes. As of 2012, there were also 13.4 million cigar smokers in the US and 2.3 million who smoke tobacco in pipes – other unsafe and addictive forms of tobacco. That California event marked the first Great American Smokeout; the Society took the program nationwide in 1977.

Note to readers: Betty Clementz is an American Cancer Society volunteer.

Quitting tobacco can be hard, but it’s not impossible.

Every year on the third Thursday of November, smokers across the nation take part in the Great American Smokeout. If you’re eligible, you may receive free Nicotine Replacement Therapy to assist you with your quit. Share your quit date with the important people in your life and ask for support. Many people want to quit but see the cost of cessation aids as a barrier. The event challenges people to stop using tobacco and helps people know about the many tools they can use to quit and stay quit. From there, the idea caught on and on November 18, 1976, the California Division of the American Cancer Society got almost 1 million smokers to quit for the day. Quit kits will be provided to all participants. The Nevada Tobacco QuitLine is a free telephone and online coaching service for any Nevada resident who’s ready to quit tobacco. Research has shown that utilizing two or more resources when trying to quit smoking works better than using just one alone.