Oklahoma city, Okla. – November 19, 2025 – Cancer patients, survivors and advocates are marking the American Cancer Society's 49th annual Great American Smokeout, taking place on Thursday, November 20th, by calling on Oklahoma lawmakers to protect the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and continue our state’s great investment in fact-based tobacco control programs to prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help adults quit.
Since voters enacted the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) in 2000, the agency has worked to reduce the toll of tobacco on Oklahomans. TSET funds prevention, research and emerging opportunities to improve the health of every Oklahoman including a quit line that has helped many start their journey to a tobacco- free life year-round.
“Through its valuable work in prevention and research, TSET plays an important role in reducing the burden of cancer in Oklahoma. TSET should be allowed to continue its critical work to advance public health,” said Matt Glanville, government relations director, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “By continuing to invest in tobacco prevention and cessation programs, TSET can contribute to further reductions in tobacco-related disease and death in Oklahoma.”
The work of TSET is still vitally needed. In Oklahoma, 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 7,500 Oklahomans die from a smoking-related disease. Although these hazards are well established, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 15.8% of adults in Oklahoma smoke. These products are highly addictive, and it can be difficult for people to quit using tobacco once they have started.
“Nearly 70% of adults who smoke want to quit, but quitting is incredibly difficult,” said Glanville. “We know that well-funded tobacco prevention efforts and services that help people quit are so important to provide the support needed to help people quit, and to help prevent kids and young adults from starting to use tobacco.
Free resources on quitting tobacco can be found through the American Cancer Society’s cessation program, Empowered to Quit or through the TSET Oklahoma Tobacco Help Line. Join the fight in protecting TSET funding by signing the petition.