Tobacco & Smoking Cessation

Table of Contents

Health effects

  • Smoking is the #1 cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.
  • Cigarette smoking is harmful to nearly every organ in your body and causes multiple chronic diseases, cancers, and various negative health effects.

Diagram depicting chronic deseases and cancers and their location within the body.

  • Smoking causes more deaths each year than HIV, drug and alcohol use, car accidents, and firearm-related injuries combined. 1

Smoking rates

Tobacco 21

  • In December 2014, the City of Columbia implemented an ordinance stating that “It shall be unlawful for any person to sell tobacco products or tobacco product paraphernalia, alternative nicotine products or vapor products to a minor, any person under the age of 21 years”.

E-Cigarettes (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems – ENDS)

  • Electronic Cigarettes: What’s the Bottom Line? 
  • E-cigarette use is rapidly increasing, especially amongst teens and young adults.
  • E-cigarettes often contain high amounts of nicotine and can lead to addiction.
  • E-cigarette liquids often contain harmful chemicals that are not safe to inhale and are not approved by the FDA.
  • In December 2014, the City of Columbia added e-cigarettes to the indoor smoking ban, making it illegal to use e-cigarettes in indoor public places.
  • The use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults.
  • Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s.1
  • Young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.
  • E-cigarette aerosol is NOT harmless “water vapor.”
  • The e-cigarette aerosol that users breathe from the device and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including:
    •Nicotine
    •Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
    •Flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease
    •Volatile organic compounds
    •Cancer-causing chemicals
    •Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead

Campaigns

Cessation services

What resources are available to me?

    • Phoenix Programs, Inc. FREE Quit Smoking Class

What does smoking cost you?

At $4.14 per pack, if you smoke one pack of cigarettes a day, that’s over $125 a month. In one year, you’ve spent almost $1600 on cigarettes. That’s enough to go on a vacation or buy a new TV! If you continue that “pack a day” habit for 25 years, you will spend over $38,000 buying cigarettes.

What happens to my body when I stop smoking?

  • Within 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal levels.
  • With eight hours the oxygen in your blood rises to a normal level.
  • Within three days breathing becomes easier.
  • From two weeks to three months, your circulation improves and you will have more energy.

Other resources

  • CDC’s Quit Smoking Hotline: 1.800.QUIT.NOW
  • BecomeAnEx.org
  • The Free quitSTART app is made for teens and can help you quit smoking. It gives you customized tips, inspiration, and challenges so you can quit for good.
  • Build your quitting skills with Daily Challenges.
  • Try DipfreeTXT to quit smokeless tobacco.
  • Try SmokefreeTXT to quit smoking. 
  • Youth and young adults can access an e-cigarette quit program by texting “DITCHJUUL” to 88709. Parents and other adults looking to help young people quit should text “QUIT” to (202) 899-7550.

Tobacco retailer information

References