Many organizations in Lake County put efforts into helping citizens quit tobacco products on Nov. 20 as part of the 33rd annual Great American Smoke-Out. The purpose of the day, which was first recognized on a large-scale in California and went nationwide in 1977, is to encourage people to quit tobacco use for a single day, then to quit permanently, according to Lake County Health Department’s Tobacco Prevention Education program coordinator Diana Schwab.

The organization worked under the guidelines set by the state government organization Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program and along side local organizations and businesses to bring the day to the public eye and encourage tobacco users to understand the resources Lake County and Montana offer to help them quit.

One of the ways people have been reached is the distribution of “quit kits” in local buildings, including The Polson Chamber of Commerce, HealthCare Plus, CenturyTel, Stageline Pizza, Insty Prints of Polson, Mountain West Bank and Eagle Bank, Schwab said.

Quit kits contain resources such as flyers for the Montana Quit Line (1-800-QUIT-NOW) and offer goodies like toothbrushes and mints. The quit line offers free professional counseling to callers.

Mirrors are also included in the quit kits so that spit tobacco users can check for signs of Leukoplakia, precancerous spots that can show up on gums.

Montana has a higher than national average rate of spit tobacco use, according to statistics from the MTUPP website. In fact, MTUPP declared the rate among adult males is 12 percent compared to the national average of eight percent.

St. Luke Hospital’s Cardiopulmonary manager Maggie Roddam said Montana is also the state with the highest rate of spit tobacco use by women.

This year Schwab spoke at the Polson Chamber of Commerce to announce the upcoming event and wrote an article for the chamber’s newsletter.    

Getting users to utilize the quit line is the main focus of the smoke-out campaign in Montana, Schwab said, and the tough economic times give yet another incentive to use the resource. Statistics from the MTUPP suggest that Montanans spend $216 million in medical expenditures attributed to smoking. In addition, Schwab said a pack-a-day smoker will spend over $1,600 a year for the product alone.

The quit line recently set up a contract with Ridgeway Pharmacy, Ltd. to offer those who use the service a discounted rate on a prescription medication called Chantix. It is a cessation medication that Schwab said has helped those who have failed quitting with nicotine replacement therapy products such as patches, gum, or lozenges.

“It’s still a little involved,” she said. “But if you’re serious about quitting, I would highly recommend it.”       

The power of the day and the issue has inspired the participation of St. Luke Hospital, where a display was set up by respiratory therapist Dolly Frey to discourage tobacco use and give people information on prevention resources.  

Roddam said she quit 16 years ago, after smoking for 22 years. Roddam decided to quit after she was nagged and finally convinced by co-worker and St. Luke education coordinator Linda Cox.

“I can tell you that it is the biggest possible life change that anyone can make,” she said.

She also warned that like other addictions, quitting cold-turkey was the way to go and that even a single cigarette might propel her back into the deadly habit. Roddam said the smoke-out was a great way to bring awareness to people, but any day could be the day to quit. She remembers the day of the year she quit once and for all – it was March 19.

“We have to make this more than one day a year,” she said.

The St. Luke campus went tobacco free this past October, Schwab said.

Lake County is home to two at-risk demographics: youth and American Indians.

A survey supported by MTUPP found that, among adolescents in grades eight, 10, and 12, 17 percent smoked and 15 percent of males used smokeless tobacco. In addition, 17 percent of all adults in Montana smoke, and 39 percent of American Indian adults in Montana smoke, according to MTUPP statistics taken in 2006.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have a program in place to combat tobacco, and students are getting involved as well.

Two Polson High School students posted signs in convenience stores throughout the county that sell tobacco products, promoting the event as part of a state organization, reACT! Against Corporate Tobacco, which is funded by MTUPP.

A first-grade elementary school class designed a large sign to promote the smoke-out and hung it up in the Family Foods store in Pablo. The slogan, “Choose tradition not addiction,” marks the colored pictures with a bold message.

MTUPP statistics show that prevention efforts are working, with smoking (those who claimed to have smoked in the 30 days before the survey) down from 27 percent of the Montana population in 2000 to 17 percent in 2006.