LAPLACE — The Great American Smokeout is Thursday and its theme is “Start with Day One.” It was selected by the American Cancer Society to reflect quitting smoking isn’t easy; it takes time, and it takes a plan. This day isn’t necessarily the day for smokers to quit smoking, but rather the day for smokers to start their journey toward a nicotine-free life.

The Smoking Cessation Trust encourages Louisianans to start their journey to quitting cigarettes forever by utilizing the free products and services it provides. According to the America’s Health Rankings Report, 23.1 percent of adults in Louisiana smoke.

The Great American Smokeout was created in the 1970s by the American Cancer Society to get people to quit cigarettes for a day and donate the dollars they would have spent on cigarettes to charity. The event has since grown to encourage people to use the date to make a plan to quit, or plan in advance and then quit smoking that day. It challenges people to stop using tobacco and helps people know about the many tools available to help them quit.

Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has been reduced by more than half since 1964 yet remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. It causes more than 480,000 deaths each year. For every person who dies this year from smoking, there are many who continue to live with a smoking-related disease.

For more information visit the Great American Smokeout. To apply to the Smoking Cessation Trust, eligible smokers can visit smokefreela.org or call locally at 504-529-5665 or toll-free at 855-259-6346.