World No Tobacco Day

(May 31, 2017 Salisbury, MD) – Every year on the 31st of May, World No Tobacco Day encourages people who smoke to take a pledge to stop smoking for 24 hours. Smokers around the world use the day to practice quitting for a short time or as the start of a long-term quit attempt.

The World Health Organization declared the first World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 1988. Each year, this event draws attention to smoking’s harmful consequences to individuals and society such as increased medical expenses and lost productivity caused by increased disease and early death. Because of this and many other efforts in education and policy, the adult smoking rate in the United States has decreased from 20.9.% in 2005 to 15.1% in 2015 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

In celebration of World No Tobacco Day, the Wicomico County Health Department will offer stop smoking kits at its locations at 300 W. Main Street Salisbury, 801 N. Salisbury Blvd. Ste. 103 Salisbury, 705 N. Salisbury Blvd. Salisbury, and 108 E. Main Street Salisbury, MD.

The Wicomico County Health Department offers stop smoking classes every Thursday at noon in its Hurdle Building at 108 E. Main Street. The program offers free education and support. Participants are eligible to receive FREE quit smoking medications including nicotine replacement patches, nicotine lozenges, or Chantix. Anyone who lives or works in Wicomico County may participate. Confidential one-one counseling is also available, including for pregnant women.

Take advantage of trying to quit with thousands of others across the nation; pick up a stop smoking kit and quit for the day…it could be the first of many!

For more information about World No Tobacco Day or the stop smoking program, call (410) 334-3480 or visit www.wicomicohealth.org.