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DOH-Miami-Dade and Tobacco Free Florida Encourage Tobacco Users to Quit Smoking on Great American Smokeout

November 13, 2017

DOH-Miami-Dade and Tobacco Free Florida Encourage Tobacco Users to Quit Smoking on Great American Smokeout

 

Contact:
Communications Office
786-336-1276

Miami, Fla. — In observance of the Great American Smokeout (GASO), sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County and Tobacco Free Florida will be joined with multiple Miami-Dade County employers to encourage tobacco users to make a plan to quit smoking on Thursday, November 16.

The Great American Smoke Out raises awareness about the dangers of smoking and the many effective resources available to help smokers successfully quit.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Florida and the U.S.[i] On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.[ii] For every person who dies, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.[iii] About 30 percent of cancer deaths in Florida are caused by cigarette smoking.[iv] Smoking not only affects one’s health, it also impacts individuals financially. A pack-a-day smoker in Florida can spend more than $2,100 in just one year and more than $10,500 in five years.

Local employers, including Miami-Dade County, Warren Henry Auto Group, Safari Ltd® and other worksites throughout the county will participate in the observance of the Great American Smokeout.

Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way program makes it easier than ever for tobacco users to access free tools and services to help them quit. More than 159,000 Floridians have successfully quit tobacco using one of these free services. For more information, please visit tobaccofreeflorida.com/quityourway.

Smokers can also access Tobacco Free Florida’s online Cost Calculator to find out how much money they could save by quitting at tobaccofreeflorida.com/calculator.


[i] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

[ii] Jha P,
Ramasundarahettige C, Landsman V, et al. 21st Century Hazards of Smoking and Benefits of Cessation in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine 2013;368:341–50 [accessed 2017 Mar 28].

[iii] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

[iv] Lortet-Tieulent J, Goding Sauer A, Siegel RL, Miller KD, Islami F, Fedewa SA, Jacobs EJ, Jemal A. State-Level Cancer Mortality Attributable to Cigarette Smoking in the United States. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(12):1792-1798. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.6530.

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