Great American Smokeout Combats Student Smoking

On Nov. 14, Student Health Services hosted the Great American Smokeout in the lobby of the Sojourner Truth Library. Pamphlets and fliers with advice on why and how to quit smoking were offered to students who stopped by. Nurses Beverly O’Brien and Stephanie Monaco, as well as Associate Director for Student Wellbeing and Prevention Education Jaclyn Cirello attended to help students sort through the information. 

The Great American Smokeout is a nationally hosted event that takes place annually on the third Thursday of November. Created by the American Cancer Society in 1970, the event aims to challenge smokers to quit smoking for one day, with the ultimate goal of encouraging a journey of quitting smoking. “It is important to share resources and tools around quitting smoking with the campus community,” Cirello said. 

In planning the event, organizers contacted local organizations from the New Paltz community to collect tools and resources to share with students on the effects of cigarette and e-cigarrette smoking, while staff from Student Health Services worked the event. 

According to the CDC, cigarette smoking is the world’s leading cause of preventable deaths, directly killing 480,000 people a year, with secondhand smoking causing 41,000 deaths a year. Cigarette smoking not only increases the risk of 12 different cancers, but is also the cause of 30% of cancer deaths. It is never too late to take the first step to quit, no matter the circumstances, which is what both the American Cancer Society and Student Health Services aim to teach with the Smokeout.

Although cigarette smoking has dramatically decreased in recent years, that has only coincided with the rapid increase of e-cigarette materials. While e-cigarettes are, in general, safer than cigarettes, they pose equally threatening health concerns: harmful aerosol substances, acute nicotine exposure and carcinogenic chemicals are just a few. E-cigarette smoking has risen in popularity most amongst youths, which is even more dangerous considering the harmful effects on brain development nicotine has on brain development. Cirello commented on this trend and said, “The emergence of electronic smoking materials has made nicotine use more accessible and appealing. We have included more educational information specifically around electronic smoking materials.” 

In light of recent upticks of cannabis usage in youths, the Smokeout included resources on marijuana smoking prevention. Though less carcinogenic, cannabis smoking still poses health threats, such as airway inflammation, lung hyperinflation and chronic bronchitis. Addressing these concerns, Cirello said “We decided to include cannabis prevention information as well as other harm reduction resources.”  For example, an available informational pamphlet created by New York State Poison Control explained the term “greening out,” in which the THC levels in marijuana reach a point of toxicity in marijuana consumption, leading to symptoms of severe nausea, hallucinations and increased blood pressure. 

The event acknowledges that the journey to quit smoking is a hard, but rewarding one, which can only start one day at a time.  For more information on why and how to quit smoking, students can make an appointment with a nurse at Student Health Services.