Try quitting – even if it is just for a day

Make Nov. 17, 2011, your day to remember! Join The Great American Smokeout, a registered trademark of the American Cancer Society.

Tobacco is the main cause of preventable disease and death in Washington state. This remains to be the case even though there have been significant gains in reducing tobacco use and exposure since the Washington State Department of Health started the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program nearly 10 years ago.

While adult smoking has declined by 30 percent about 760,000 Washingtonians still smoke.

So far youth smoking has dropped by 50 percent, but 70,000 of our youth still smoke. In fact, 50 kids start smoking every day.

And now many of them are using other types of tobacco, such as cigars, smokeless products, chew, snuff, pipes and flavored cigarettes, according to the Washington Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.

People affected in Adams County: (Data Sources 2008 population)

• 1,400 adults smoke

• 300 adults use smokeless tobacco

• 10 infants are born annually to mothers who smoke during pregnancy

• 100 youth smoke

• 100 youth use smokeless tobacco

• 600 adults are exposed to secondhand smoke

• 1,800 youth are exposed to secondhand smoke

• 10 cancers diagnosed each year are smoking-related

• 20 adults die annually from smoking-related causes

• 31 people from Adams County called the Quit Line the past year

The Great American Smokeout is your opportunity to try quitting. The Washington State Tobacco Quit Line has free counseling and resources to help many people quit.

It’s free. It’s confidential. It works. Call today. 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). www.quitline.com.