Nov. 20 marks the 38th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout. ISU student smokers who want to quit for at least one day can participate in the hope that they will quit forever. The Smokeout also provides a platform for the roommates, family and friends of tobacco and electronic cigarette users to encourage them to quit. 

This is the first year that e-cigarettes are included in the call to quit the addiction to nicotine. The Iowa Legislature did not go far enough to regulate e-cigarettes last year by eliminating the sale and possession of these devices to those under age 18. In 2015, the Legislature should eliminate the use of e-cigarettes in all public places. Data released in the last six months tells us why we must act quickly. 

• The number of U.S. youth who used electronic cigarettes but have never smoked a regular cigarette more than tripled in the past three years, from 79,000 in 2011 to over 263,000 in 2013.
• In just the first nine months of 2014, poison control centers fielded 3,041 calls involving exposure to e-cigarette devices and liquid nicotine. That is nearly double the number of calls from all of 2013, 1,542 calls, and up from 460 calls in 2012 and 271 calls in 2011.
• Over the summer, NJOY, a leading e-cigarette company, expanded its product line by introducing a vapor-tank-mod and a line of 10 e-liquid flavors, including vanilla bean, pomegranate, blood orange, blackberry, blueberry, peach tea, single malt scotch, butter crunch and double espresso, in addition to classic tobacco and menthol. NJOY had long insisted that it would avoid using flavorings that would appeal to kids.

The Great American Smokeout is about saving lives. More people quit smoking on Nov. 20 than any other day of the year. It’s estimated that 75 percent of smokers want to quit at any given time. Toll-free help is available from Iowa’s Quitline at (800) 784-8669. Supportive counselors answer questions about quitting and help callers develop their own quit plans. 

Choosing to quit using tobacco and e-cigarettes is a difficult decision, primarily because nicotine is highly addictive. Difficult as it may be, it can be done. There is a healthier and happier future for nicotine users, and The Great American Smokeout could be just the beginning.