OLYMPIA, Wash. –– Cancer patients, survivors and advocates are marking the American Cancer Society's 48th annual Great American Smokeout® today by calling on elected officials across the state to do more to reduce tobacco use. The Great American Smokeout is a day for people who use tobacco to create a plan to quit.
In Washington, tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of disease and death, and smoking is now linked to at least 12 types of cancers, including lung, liver and colorectal cancers. Each year, more than 8,300 die from a smoking-related disease in Washington alone. Although these hazards are well established, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 9% of adults in Washington smoke. These products are highly addictive, and it can be difficult for people to quit using tobacco once they have started.
“The Great American Smokeout is not just an opportunity for people who use tobacco to set a plan to quit. It’s also a clear wake up call for lawmakers to say it’s time for Washinton to stand up to Big Tobacco,” said Audrey Miller Garcia, Washington Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “For too long, Washington has allowed the tobacco industry to addict people to deadly, cancer-causing products. It’s time to say, ‘enough is enough.’ Our residents deserve better.”
Research shows that strong tobacco control policies, like elimination of menthol and flavored tobacco products can help people quit smoking. These products are particularly problematic in kids and 9,100 Washington children will start smoking this year and flavored products are responsible for a large majority of those numbers.
“Big Tobacco manufactures and markets menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products for a reason – to make these products easier to use and more difficult to quit. We must end the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored tobacco products to help people quit and to protect kids from a lifetime of addiction,” Miller Garcia said.
Tobacco use is one of the primary drivers of cancer-related health disparities. Tobacco companies have specifically targeted communities of color, people with limited incomes, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people and youth, causing disproportionate tobacco use among these populations.
83.1% of Black adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes. Menthol has been proven to make it easier to start smoking and harder to quit. Black Americans still have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial group in the U.S. for most cancers, and Black men have the highest cancer incidence rate.
“On this Great American Smokeout, we urge Washington lawmakers to support people who want to quit using tobacco by moving quickly to end the sale of menthol and flavored tobacco products. Passing this policy will help every resident of our state by reducing tobacco use and addiction, leading to fewer deaths and suffering from tobacco-related diseases like cancer,” Miller Garcia said.
Free resources on quitting tobacco can be found at quitnow.net/Washington or through the American Cancer Society’s cessation program, Empowered to Quit.