Gordon Clay here. Next Thursday is the Great American Smokeout, an annual event in the United States to encourage Americans, of whom over 45 million smoke, to quit for 24 hours, hoping their decision to quit will last forever.

According to the Oregon Healthy Teen Survey, over 10% of 8th grades, and 20% of 11th graders used tobacco in the last 30 days. And 18% of 8th graders and 30% of 11th graders have tried flavored cigarettes. Furthermore, over 10% of 8th and 11th graders have seen a teacher, staff or other adults smoke on school property.

Eighty-nine percent of people who ever try a cigarette try by age 18. And, every day, several thousand adolescents in the United States light up their first cigarette. That means that more than a million kids will start smoking this year! A third of those new smokers will eventually die of tobacco-related diseases.

Tobacco use can cause lung cancer, as well as other cancers, heart disease, and lung disease. Tobacco is responsible for nearly one in every five deaths in the United States, representing over 400,000 deaths per year. Another 8.6 million people are living with serious illnesses caused by smoking.

The Great American Smoke-Out raises awareness of the many effective ways to quit for good. Telephone quitlines are a convenient new resource. In Oregon, call 800.784.8669. That's 800.784.8669. If you smoke, please call that number today, if not for you, for the sake of the kids and people around you.