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Great American Smokeout is Nov. 20

HELP Committee

ReACT is Montana's teen-led movement against big tobacco.

Teens across the state have recognized the power of young people to effectively take on one of our leading preventable causes of death, commercial tobacco use.

Thursday, Nov. 20, marks the 44th annual informal holiday known as the Great American Smokeout. It is promoted by the American Cancer Society and is held on the third Thursday of November each year. Smokers are encouraged to make a plan to quit, even if for one day.

People who need help quitting cigarettes can call the Montana tobacco quit line toll free at 1-800-QUIT-NOW. The people at Quit Line offer free help to tobacco users including free cessation coaching calls, nicotine replacement therapy and reduced prices on prescription medication Chantix and Wellbutrin. People can also get help from organizations like smokefree.gov and ucanquit2.org.

Great American Smokeout Facts

• The holiday began in 1970, when a man in Massachusetts asked people to give up smoking for one day and donate the money saved to the local high school scholarship fund.

• Smoking is responsible for 1 in 3 cancer-related deaths and 1 in 5 deaths from any cause. Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Life expectancy for smokers is 10 years less than that of nonsmokers, according to CDC.

• A middle-aged man, who smokes, triples his risk of dying from some type of heart disease, says the CDC.

 

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