FRESNO, CA (KMJ) -Today is the Great American Smoke-out held on the third Thursday of November.
This year marks the 42nd Great American Smokeout intervention effort celebrating those that have quit, and offering resources for those who would like to kick the tobacco habit.
Maria Robinson, Director of Communications from the American Cancer Society says tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of disease & premature death in the world.
“Tobacco use is responsible for about 30% of all cancers and that’s completely preventable cancers, not only does it cause lung cancer, but it causes a number of other cancers like oral cancers, esophageal cancer contributes to breast and colon cancer, you know, a host of other cancers.” -Maria Robinson, Director of Communications, American Cancer Society.
36.5 million Americans still smoke cigarettes but smoking rates have dropped from 42 percent in 1965 to 15 percent in 2015.
“While cigarette smoking is on the decline, other types of smoking are on the rise; e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes and hookahs, those are on the rise and we need to put an end to that.” -Maria Robinson, Director of Communications, American Cancer Society.
For people who need a plan to stop, there is help through cancer.org or the tobacco quit line at 1-800-quit-now.
Click below to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
