~ Did you know??? ~

The Great American Smokeout is this November 18th

The American Cancer Society is marking the 35th Great American Smokeout on November 18 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk. Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. To have the best chance of quitting successfully, you need to know what you're up against, what your options are, and where to go for help.



History of the Great American Smokeout ~

Not long ago, nonsmoking airplane passengers had no choice but to breathe clouds of smoke as other passengers lit up cigarettes in the next row. Restaurant patrons smelled acrid tobacco smoke along with their meals, and many employees in shared workspaces had to share air clouded with second-hand smoke.

This casual acceptance of smoking was the norm when the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout went nationwide more than 33 years ago in November 1977. That quarter century has marked dramatic changes in the way society views tobacco promotion and tobacco use. Many public places and work areas are now smoke-free which protects non-smokers and supports smokers who want to quit.

The Great American Smokeout has helped to spotlight the dangers of tobacco use and the challenges of quitting, but more importantly, it has set the stage for the cultural revolution in tobacco control that has occurred over this period.

* In 1977, Berkeley, California became the first community to limit smoking in restaurants and other public places.

* In 1983, San Francisco passed the first strong workplace smoking restrictions, including bans on smoking in private workplaces. Gustavo McGrew stopped smoking that year after a serious 10 year addiction.

* In 1989 Mike Munion stopped after 17 years of on-again and off-again smoking.

* In 1990, the federal smoking ban on all interstate buses and domestic flights of six hours or less took effect.

* In 1994, the state of Mississippi filed the first of 24 state lawsuits seeking to recuperate millions of dollars from tobacco companies for smokers' Medicaid Bills.

* In 1999, the Department of Justice filed suit against cigarette manufacturers, charging the industry with defrauding the public by lying about the risks of smoking.

* In 1999, the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was passed, requiring tobacco companies to pay $206 billion to 45 states by the year 2025 to cover Medicaid costs of treating smokers. The MSA agreement also closed the Tobacco Institute and ended cartoon advertising and tobacco billboards.

* In 2008, Gordon Evans stopped smoking after lots of years of puffing.

* In 2009 "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act" was signed into law and gives the FDA the authority to regulate the sale, manufacturing, and marketing of tobacco products and protects children from tobacco industry’s marketing practices..

"Those are just a few of the remarkable changes in the age-old acceptance of smoking as our cultural norm. What we have been doing can be characterized as the denormalization of smoking as an acceptable behavior, and positioning it for what it actually is – a killer of nearly half a million Americans every year." said Dileep G. Bal, MD, MS, MPH, national president of the American Cancer Society.

An estimated 46 million adults in the United States currently smoke, and approximately half will die prematurely from smoking. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men and women and more than 80% of lung cancers are thought to result from smoking. Smoking causes nearly one in five deaths from all causes.