Prevention and Cessation

Photo of two hands breaking a cigarette

Tobacco Control

Our work to reduce tobacco use has led to funding for highly successful quitlines and youth programs that educate children about the perils of using tobacco, including cigarettes, hookah and e-cigarettes. 

These programs will help prevent children from starting a deadly tobacco addiction and help more adults quit. 

Smoking rates are at their lowest levels in decades, with 1.9 percent of high school kids and 11.5 percent of adults smoking cigarettes.

Latest Updates

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Wisconsin Should Make It Easier to Quit Tobacco

November 14, 2023
Wisconsin

Elected officials across the state must preserve our smokefree workplace protections and do more to support residents of Wisconsin who want to quit using tobacco products, say cancer patients, survivors, and advocates who are marking the American Cancer Society’s 48 th annual Great American Smokeout® this Thursday. The Great American Smokeout is a day for people who use tobacco to create a plan to quit.

New Report: 2.8 Million Youth Report Current Use of Tobacco Products

November 2, 2023
National

New data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) found that more than 6.21 million youth reported ever using tobacco products and 2.8 million report current use (past 30 days) of any tobacco product in 2023.

ACS CAN Supports CDC’s “Empower Vape-Free Youth” Campaign

September 7, 2023
National

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) launched a new campaign, “Empower Vape-Free Youth,” which aims to empower educators to speak with youth about the risks associated with e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction and to encourage youth to avoid and/or quit e-cigarettes.

Members of Congressional Black Caucus Call on FDA to Finalize Menthol Flavor Rule by August 23 Deadline

August 2, 2023
National

This week, 32 members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Robert M. Califf, MD, urging the FDA to finalize the proposed rule to remove menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes.

Prevention and Cessation Resources

Flavors in Tobacco Products

March 13, 2023

Flavors are a marketing weapon the tobacco manufacturers use to target youth and young people to a lifetime of addiction. The use of any flavored tobacco product among youth is concerning because it exposes them to a lifetime of nicotine addiction, disease, and premature death.

Medicaid Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Can Help to Address Health Disparities

March 6, 2023

Eliminating tobacco-related disparities requires that Medicaid enrollees have access to comprehensive cessation benefits without cost-sharing or other barriers to quit tobacco.

Big Tobacco Targets People with Limited Incomes

January 12, 2023

While overall smoking rates have declined in recent years, smoking rates remain higher among specific populations, including people with limited incomes. These differences are in large part due to the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing through advertising, price discounting and other strategies. Every year the tobacco industry spends $9.1 billion in the United States marketing their deadly and addictive products.