DC residents can receive free nicotine patches, lozenges, and counseling by calling the DC Quitline^®

Published in the Washington Informer newspaper, December 2009 – You’ve probably made this New Year’s Resolution many times—to be tobacco-free this coming year. Right now, there’s never been a better time to quit. District smokers are being offered free counseling, nicotine patches and lozenges, through DC’s 800 QUIT NOW program. The American Lung Association of DC, with funding from the DC Cancer Consortium and the DC Department of Health, is providing a unique opportunity to have free telephone counseling and one-on-one visit with a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, including obtaining free nicotine patches or lozenges, to give you the best opportunity to quit for good. Read More.

According to new findings, smoking cessation can reverse some of the lung damage that occurs among asthma sufferers from smoking cigarettes. Martine Broekema, Ph.D., the lead author of the study says that stopping smoking can reverse thickness in the airways of asthma patients, leading to less mucous production and inflammation. Read More.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids – The District of Columbia has fallen from 15^th to 31^st in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.  Health advocates are urging DC leaders to restore funding for the District’s successful tobacco prevention program, which has been cut by 76 percent in the past year.

DC currently spends $1.4 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, including $850,000 in District funds and a $532,000 federal grant. This total is just 13.1 percent of the $10.5 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last year, DC ranked 15^th, spending $4 million on tobacco prevention. Click on the picture to read the full report.

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ABC News Health – If you thought that smoking tobacco through a waterpipe was safer than cigarettes, think again: Compared to cigarette smoking, a waterpipe — also called a hookah or shisha — delivers more deadly carbon monoxide and roughly the same amount of addictive nicotine, according to a new study.

Smoking tobacco with a waterpipe has grown in popularity in the United States, especially among the 18- to 24-year-old crowd, who may think that it’s less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Some estimate that as many as one in five U.S. college students use a waterpipe to smoke tobacco. Read More.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named groups
of people at a high risk of developing serious complications from H1N1  Influenza.

Currently, one of the highest-priority groups consists of persons with chronic respiratory conditions. These types of conditions, including asthma and heart disease, often arise from smoking.
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