Great American Smokeout on Thursday

Phillips County Mont. – You’d like to quit tobacco, you intend to quit, but, well, you just need to pick a day. How about Thursday, November 16, 2017? That’s the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout®. You can join millions of Americans and start living tobacco free!

The American Cancer Society reports, “About 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States.” Tobacco addiction knows no racial, social, or economic boundaries. Montana Chronic Disease Control Healthy Lifestyle Section emphasizes that the impact particularly affects Montana’s Tribal Nations, “American Indians are more heavily impacted by the toll of commercial tobacco addiction, than other groups in Montana.” According to Sonia Young, Phillips County Coalition for Healthy Choices, “The tobacco industry and their advertisers have often used the connection between American Indians and historic, sacred tobacco to market their deadly, addictive product. American Indian imagery continues to be used in tobacco marketing, and gives a wrong impression about traditional use or safety of the commercial tobacco product.” This and other factors contribute to the high use among Native people.

When trying to quit using tobacco, support can make all the difference! The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program (MTUPP), a statewide program of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, offers free cessation services, dedicated coaching, and nicotine replacement therapy through the Montana Tobacco Quit Line. To join the Great American Smokeout challenge, contact http://www.QuitNowMontana.com or 1-800-QUIT-NOW. There is also a dedicated American Indian commercial tobacco quit line. Callers receive the same free benefits as the State’s very successful Tobacco Quit Line, while working with American Indian coaches who understand culturally sensitive challenges and traditions. To access Montana’s American Indian Commercial Tobacco Quit Line, call 1-855-372-0037 or go online at http://www.MTAmericanIndianQuitLine.com.