Smokeout trades smokes today for turkey dinner raffle

From 11 to 3 p.m. today, smokers can turn in their tobacco products for a chance to win a free turkey dinner and escape the clutches of tobacco addiction.

Hosted by the Coalition for a Healthy Flathead, the event celebrates today as the Great American Smokeout.

Located in Blake Hall at Flathead Valley Community College, the event is one of several held around Montana to help people break their smoking addictions.

“We’ll have a booth set up where people can come to talk to us,” Leslie Deck of Flathead-City County Health Department said.

Along with encouraging smoking cessation, organizers want to raise awareness that 1,400 Montanans die each year from tobacco-related disease. The event provides information on effective ways to quit.

“We’re excited to be a part of this important cause and show our support for people trying to quit, “ said Lisa Schlepp, local Tobacco Prevention and Cancer Control Specialist.

According to a statewide survey, about 53 percent of Montana smokers were contemplating or preparing to quit. Although half want to quit, around 16 percent of Montanans continue to smoke.

The number has not changed since 2004.

“It’s our hope that events like the Great American Smokeout will push people that extra mile to make the decision to quit smoking and follow through,” Schlepp said.

Statistics show that tobacco users who call the Montana Tobacco Quit Line are seven to 10 times more likely to quit. The line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW offers free help to residents in the form of nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, lozenges and gum and free or low-cost medications.