The list of illnesses caused by tobacco use is long and contains many of the most common causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, lung disease, many forms of cancer, and vascular diseases.
Cigarette use alone, results in an estimated 430,000 deaths each year in the U.S., including 28,600 deaths in Florida. Secondhand smoke causes 50,000 deaths each year among adult non-smokers in the United States with 2,520 of those deaths among Floridians.
The Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program has been active in Calhoun County since 1998. Program goals are to help smokers quit, prevent youth from smoking, and protect everyone from secondhand smoke. This is done by increasing awareness about the risk of tobacco use and second hand smoke, providing cessation support in our community and at local businesses, and coordinating a SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) club in our public middle and high schools.
For more information on tobacco or the Tobacco-Free Partnership, contact Sara Beck at 850-214-5015.