When it comes to smoking we have all seen the disturbing facts and figures. One in three cancers is attributable to tobacco. Tobacco kills one in five Americans and is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in California. In one year alone, smoking caused over 37,000 deaths in California resulting in lost-productivity costs of more than $8 billion. Calling tobacco a unique product is an understatement- tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicides, suicides, car accidents and fires combined.

In days past, smoking used to be called a “habit.” But that term does not reflect the reality of nicotine addiction for California’s four million smokers, nearly 11% of whom are Asian. (Asian adult men smoke at a rate of 15%, while the smoking rate of Asian adult females is 5%. Specific Asian groups have higher than the general population smoking rates of 13.3%. Filipinos males smoke at 23.7%, Cambodian males smoke at 24.6%, Vietnamese males smoke at 31.5%, and Korean males smoke at 35.9%. ) Research on the brain shows that smoking causes chemical changes that create a vicious cycle of cycle of craving, smoking, calming, and craving. Within hours of the last cigarette, withdrawal symptoms of anxiety, depression, restlessness, irritability or aggression, and craving for nicotine. Addiction experts tell us that quitting smoking is just as hard if not harder than quitting heroin or cocaine. In addition, Asians are less likely to receive smoking cessation counseling from physicians.

Thankfully, the public is fed up with the tobacco industry and new laws have been put in place to ban smoking in the workplace and in eateries. But these are only first steps. The time has come for policymaker and the media to see the merits of helping those who addicted to nicotine people break free from their addiction.

A recent study by the President’s Cancer Council concluded that tobacco-cessation services and medications be a standard part of all health insurance. Researchers tell us that counseling or drug therapy or a combination of both help people quit smoking and stay quit. And according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helping people quit is one of the most cost-effective health-care benefits available. But still not enough employers or government health-care programs provide the coverage.

Helping people quit is too often ignored as other remedies like taxing cigarettes and banning smoking in cars or in public places which tend to stir up anti-tax and freedom issues. Also, the problem with helping people stop smoking is they often relapse. Nicotine users typically try to quit and fail at least six times.

National guidelines recommend comprehensive smoking cessation benefits to help smokers through this long process. These benefits include: both counseling and FDA-approved medications, including prescription and over the counter cessation aids, at least four counseling sessions of at least 30 minutes, and the elimination of co-pays and deductibles for treatment.

In California, smoking cessation is part of the Medi-Cal program but not enough doctors and patients know about the benefits. Assembly Bill 595 (Dymally) would give doctors and patients the information necessary to expand these benefits. It will make Medi-Cal offer counseling and or all FDA approved smoking cessation medications.

We are doing a great deal to prevent people from starting to smoke and to stop people from smoking in public places. Now is the time to help those that do smoke quit, once and for all.

If you smoke, to find out more information on how to quit you may call the California Smokers’ Helpline. The California Smokers’ Helpline a FREE confidential service available over the telephone to anyone who wants help to quit smoking or chewing tobacco. The Helpline is available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese & Korean as well as English and Spanish.

Mandarin & Cantonese: 1-800-838-8917

Korean: 1-800-556-5564

Vietnamese: 1-800-778-8440

Spanish: 1-800-45-NO-FUME (1-800-456-6386)

English: 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887)

Deaf/Hearing Impaired: 1-800-993-4TDD (1-800-933-4833)

Chew/Dip: 1-800-844-CHEW (1-800-844-2439)