WASHINGTON, D.C. March 26, 2015 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new advertisements today as part of its ongoing Tips from Former Smokers national campaign. The following is a statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN): We commend the CDC for extending the enormously successful äóÖTips from Former Smokers ' campaign with a new round of hard-hitting ads that link smoking to colorectal cancer and other diseases that many Americans do not associate with cigarette use. This round of ads includes two stories of colorectal cancer patients, a disease the Surgeon General concluded last year is caused by smoking. Released during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the ads emphasize that every smoker is at risk of developing colorectal cancer, and that colorectal cancer is preventable with routine recommended screenings. Like the earlier rounds of ads, which led an estimated 1.6 million smokers to attempt to quitæand more than 100,000 to quit for good, these ads are based on strong evidence of what anti-smoking messages work best. This lifesaving national effort has been funded by the Prevention and Public Health Fund created under the Affordable Care Act. We are making progress in helping adults quit this deadly addiction, but there is still more work to do with more than 50 million adults using tobacco products. The Surgeon General estimates that smoking causes 480,000 deaths in this country each year. A recent study from the American Cancer Society suggests that tens of thousands more deaths could be attributed to diseases that aren 't officially attributed to cigarette use. Lawmakers should continue to support a comprehensive approach to tobacco control with comprehensive smoke-free laws, regular and significant increases in tobacco taxes and funding for evidence-based prevention and cessation programs, including effective mass-media campaigns. These interventions are proven to be the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, which ultimately reduces death and suffering from tobacco-related diseases. ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Lauren Walens or Steven Weiss American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Phone: (202) 661-5763 or (202) 661-5711 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] #CDC #CDCTips #smoking #smokefree #cancer #ACSCAN #Congress #ACA