By Bailey Garza
Student Reporter
Today most people smoke cigarettes, vape, and chew tobacco. They are all unhealthy but people continue to use these daily, shortening their lives.
For those who are addicted to these things, there is an organization that will help them stop. That organization is the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization that is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Their headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
They also have regional and local offices throughout the country to ensure that they have a presence in every community. The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.
One way the American Cancer Society helps people who smoke, vape, and chew, is the Great American Smokeout. The Great American Smokeout, which is hosted by the American Cancer Society, is an opportunity for smokers to commit to healthy smoke-free lives. They commit not for just a day but year round.
The American Cancer Society has hosted the Great American Smokeout for more than 40 years on the third Thursday of November. The Great American Smokeout provides an opportunity for individuals, community groups, businesses, health care providers, and others to encourage people to use the date to make a plan to quit, or help plan in advance and initiate a smoking cessation plan on the day of the event.
The Great American Smokeout tries to challenge smokers to quit smoking and teaches them tools they can use to help them quit and never go back to smoking.
The Great American Smokeout began in the 1970’s. During that time smoking and second-hand smoke were common.
The idea of the Great American Smokeout began in Randolph, Massachusetts. When Arthur P. Mullaney started asking people to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent on cigarettes, to a high school fund. Lynn R. Smith, who was the editor of the Monticello Times in Minnesota spearheaded the first d-day as don’t smoke day in 1974.
After the California division of the American Cancer Society got 1 million smokers to quit for a day, the Great American Smokeout was created and the American Cancer Society took it nationwide in 1977. This event is very helpful today. There are more than 480,000 deaths caused by smoking every year. Nearly 38 million Americans still smoke cigarettes today.
Student Easton Maxell, who was a tobacco user quit using tobacco last year. “I dipped tobacco for long time, but I was happy after I quit’ said Maxwell. Maxwell said that after he quit he would get sick to his stomach and get dizzy but he never went back to dipping tobacco.
Smoking, vaping, and chewing are bad for the body. People who use those need to realize what they do to their body and what could happen if they don’t stop.
The Great American Smokeout will be held on Nov. 15th for the smokers, vapers, and chewers out there looking for help.