BY SUZANNE BERGSTEN
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

Student Health and Counseling Services is hosting an event on campus at Kellog Library Plaza on Thursday, Nov. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to celebrate the American Cancer Society’s 35th Annual Great American Smokeout. The Smokeout is a nationwide event for smokers that aims to inform and encourage people to stop smoking and live a healthier life.
There are many Great American Smokeout events held throughout California. CSUSM is one of many Californian universities to host an event and CSUSM is also one of many smoke-free universities, where smoking is limited to designated areas.
With more than 12 million deaths since 1974 and an estimated 400,000 deaths a year, tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death in the country. According to The American Cancer Society, 30 percent of all cancer deaths are related to smoking.
Their statistics also claim that 3,400 nonsmokers die each year from being exposed to smoke, known as secondhand smoking.
The Great American Smokeout became a nationwide event in 1977 and has since brought forward many tobacco related issues and helped start a revolution against tobacco and smoking. The annual event started in 1971 when Arthur P. Mullaney suggested people stop smoking for one day and give the money they would have spent on cigarettes to a high school fund. The second event fuelling the development of today’s Great American Smokeout was in 1974 when Lynn R. Smith started the first “Don’t Smoke Day” in Minnesota. Today, smoking is banned in many public places, and there is raised awareness of how harmful smoking can be.
Anti-tobacco organizations and individuals have helped the fight against tobacco use in many ways. One of the latest big changes in the market is the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law in 2009. That gave the FDA regulatory control over the tobacco industry’s marketing practices, in hopes of keeping tobacco related products and commercials away from children.
To participate in the event on campus, all you need is a commitment to quit or to give up smoking for a day. If you are a nonsmoker, you can sign up to be a grassroots advocate and help create a smoke-free environment and smoke-free communities.
Gabriel Pena, a student at CSUSM, said of the Smokeout, “I have never heard of the event before, but I think it sounds cool that they help people quit smoking. It is so bad for you.”
If you are ready for the challenge to put out your last cigarette, the American Cancer Society has self-help guides and support for those wanting to quit on their website.
If you are not there yet and not totally ready, the event supports smokers to at least think about the consequences and try to not smoke for the day the event is held.