African Americans
70% of African Americans who smoke say they want to quit. That’s more than nearly every other group of people who smoke. When you decide to quit, the Quitline is here to help.
Big Tobacco Wants You
The tobacco industry has known for a long time that placing ads for cigarettes in Black community spaces makes more smokers. And they put more ads in Black communities than in White communities to attract smokers. They don’t care about you or your health, only about your money.
How do I Quit Smoking?
For African Americans quitting can be different. Most African Americans who want to quit say their reasons are to save money, get healthy and to protect their children and grandchildren from secondhand smoke. For some people, taking the first step on their quit journey is hard. Quitline coaches are here to help you be successful with quitting.
There are proven methods that increase your chance of quitting for good. Talking to a Quitline Coach is one way. Using quit medications like nicotine patches is another. Talking to a Coach and using medications together is even better!
The Pathways to Freedom video was designed just to help African Americans quit smoking. In the video, you will learn about the history of tobacco with the Black community, how it was tied to slavery and how it hurts the community today.
What's The Deal with Menthol?
Many years ago, tobacco companies noticed that African Americans were a little bit more likely to smoke menthols. The next thing they did was change their ads to push menthols on the community until nearly every African American smoker was smoking menthols. But, what they don’t tell you is that menthols make you more addicted to nicotine AND make it harder to quit.
The FDA announced it will ban menthol cigarettes and cigars. This decision will improve the health of African Americans. Most people say that they would rather quit smoking completely if they have to quit menthols. At the Quitline, our Coaches are here for you. They know that menthols are hard to quit. We will work with you to use quit medications and find the quit plan that works just for you. Call us at 1.800.874.8669 (800.QUIT.NOW) or click enroll to get started.