WASHINGTON, D.C. June 24, 2014 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new advertisements today as part of its ongoing Tips from Former Smokers national campaign. The following is a statement from John R. Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):
The ads released today are some of the most hard-hitting and compelling the CDC has produced to date. These sobering ads highlight some of the conditions and diseases many Americans are not aware result from a cigarette addiction, and what it 's like to live with those conditions. Like the earlier rounds of ads, which led an estimated 1.6 million smokers to attempt to quitæand more than 100,000 to quit for good, these ads are based on strong evidence of what anti-smoking messages work best. We have the Prevention and Public Health Fund to thank for this lifesaving national effort.
New data released by the CDC today on adult tobacco use underscores the campaign 's success. The survey showed a reduction in adult cigarette use to 18 percent from 19.5 percent two years ago.
We are making progress in helping adults quit this deadly habit, but there is still more work to do. More than 50 million adults still use tobacco products, and the vast majority continues to use combustible products such as cigarettes the deadliest type according to the Surgeon General. Lawmakers must continue to support funding for compelling mass-media campaigns, comprehensive smoke-free laws, consistent increases in tobacco taxes and funding for cessation programs. These four interventions are proven to be the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use.
Terrie Hall
The current round of ads includes a new TV spot featuring Terrie Hall, the most recognizable face of the äóÖTips ' campaign, who succumbed to her battle with oral and throat cancers in September shortly after filming the ad. Terrie lost her voice box over the course of her multiple cancer treatments, a result of the cigarette smoking she started in high school.
But losing her ability to speak didn 't stop Terrie from dedicating the latter part of her life to telling anyone who would listen about the dangers of smoking. She first shared her story as an American Cancer Society Relay For Life¬ team leader in her hometown in North Carolina and an ACS CAN advocacy volunteer. In an effort to save people from going through what she had endured, Terrie courageously showed the world her disfigurement through the äóÖTips ' ads. Her life and her life 's work inspire us to continue to fiercely fight to end the disease and death caused by tobacco use.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visitæhttps://www.fightcancer.org/.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Lauren Walens or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5763 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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