Get Healthy Carson City: World No Tobacco Day: Commit to quit

This a day to raises awareness about the laws that regulate the tobacco industry and all those dangers of using tobacco products, along with giving people the resources needed to help them quit.

There was a recent law that was passed on Dec. 20, 2019, that many people do not know about. It is now illegal under federal law for a retailer to sell any tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes, to anyone under 21 instead of 18. Nevada has been given a three-year transition period to enforce Tobacco 21. Laws and policies such as these prevent youth and young adults from becoming one of the statistics presented below.

Tobacco use leads to disease, disability, death, and harms nearly every organ of the body. In the United States, tobacco use is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This equates to about one in five deaths annually or 1,300 deaths every day. Tobacco use mills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined.

In Nevada, smoking causes 4,100 adults to die each year and approximately 16% of adults smoke. About half of those who smoke have attempted to quit in the past year.

The good news is quitting is possible, but this is not only an adult problem. According to the most recent Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey, within 30 days prior to the survey, 3.6% of high school students smoked, 3.7% used smokeless tobacco and 22.5% use electronic cigarettes. If this current trend continues, it is forecasted that 41,000 Nevada youth under 18 alive today are expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.

If you are wanting to quit tobacco, it is not easy and is a process for most people. Some people can quit “cold turkey,” but most people will need a plan and assistance to quit successfully. It is best to use a proven strategy to quit tobacco.

The strategies include talking to your doctor, using counseling services, and/or taking prescription medications such as nicotine replacement. It is best to have a plan for actions to take when nicotine withdrawals begin to occur, which is between four and 24 hours after the last smoked cigarette and peak around day three. Withdrawal can be unpleasant and may make you irritable.

Anyone trying to quit will have triggers, but a plan will help you through those moments. If setbacks occur, do not give up. Try again, it is important to your health and to those around you.

A few of the health benefits to quitting tobacco are:

• Increased life expectancy

• Return of sense of smell

• Improved taste

• Reduced risk of 12 types of cancer

• Decrease blood pressure and heart rate

• Reduced risk of coronary heart disease and stroke

Whether you are thinking about quitting, are not yet ready to quit, or have already quit, the Nevada Tobacco Quitline can help you through each step.

For free help to quit, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or go to nevadatobaccoquitline.com.

For teens, go to mylifemyquit.com or text “Start my Quit to 36072 or call 855.891.9989.

For information go to www.smokefree.gov, www.behindthehazenv.com,or www.letstalkvaping.com.

Help us make a world without tobacco. Join us and participation in World No Tobacco Day on May 31 by starting down the path of quitting tobacco.

For additional resources and information about Carson City Health and Human Services’ programs and services, check out our website at www.gethealthycarsoncity.org ,“Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cchhs , follow us on Twitter @CCHealthEd or Instagram @gethealthycarsoncity, call us at (775) 887-2190, or visit us at 900 E. Long St., in Carson City.