Tennessee Launches Tobacco Quitline In Conjuction With Smoking Ban

Tennessee's new ban on smoking in public places may encourage some folks to kick the habit.

A Centers for Disease Control survey finds 27% of Tennessee adults smoke, but about half tried to quit over the past year.

Hoping the ban will provide some smokers with an incentive to quit, the state just launched a special quit-line.  The toll-free service provides a professionally trained quit coach to teach smokers how to overcome the addiction.  Jay Collum, Hamilton County Health Department Tobacco Education Coordinator, says the coaches work "better with adolescents, women, elderly.  They have coaches that specialize in those areas and they will set quit dates and appointments for future telephone counseling sessions."

The program has a one-year success rate of 25%.  You can get a quit coach by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

To find more information, visit the state's quitline website