County takes part in Great American Smokeout
Danielle Switalski
“It is the one day where if you can’t quit, just quit for one day,” said Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Specialist Jan Parmalee Thursday morning at the 34th annual Great American Smokeout.
Every year Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Program takes part in the Great American Smokeout, which was started by the American Cancer Society and is a day dedicated to encouraging and helping people stop their tobacco use.
Although this year the smokeout did not have a high turnout because the county’s prevention program has been spending most of their time implementing the final stages of Montana’s Clean Indoor Air Act, Parmalee was available all morning for people to come in and see her at the courthouse in Thompson Falls. Outside of Parmalee’s office was a table laden with different literature and material on how to help someone quit their tobacco use.
“There are some exercises on the table with any material that gets a person’s attention that will help them, they are written to different people because you never know what will grab someone’s attention and help them,” said Parmalee who also went out into the community on Thursday afternoon to help spread awareness.
Parmalee said the hardest part about raising awareness about the harms of tobacco is the fact that it has been a part of our heritage and culture and it has taken a long time to have people realize that they do not need tobacco products.
“It’s not food, it’s not water, it’s tobacco, it’s a product with no regulation. It goes into your body without any regulation whatsoever and it’s laden with chemicals and poisons,” said Parmalee.
For the past two years the Great American Smokeout has been held at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital because the hospital was trying to go smokefree and help as many employees who wanted to quit do so.
Parmalee said the greatest part of helping people quit in Montana is that it is one of the few states that give out nicotine replacement therapy and cessation products. People can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for more information on how to receive these products and for help on quitting tobacco use.
Parmalee said they have had over 500 people in Sanders County quit their tobacco use because of the Prevention Program’s efforts.
“It’s amazing because when I started and I would be out and about at the Huckleberry festival or the fair or a trade show, wherever there’s a group of people and people would walk around me and now people come up and talk to me, so there’s your change right now,” said Parmalee, commenting on how people are no longer scared to talk about their tobacco use or their desire to quit.
Parmalee said she feels people are really deciding to quit tobacco use now because of the high cost to buy the products and the Clean Indoor Air Act, as there are now less places for people to go and smoke.
“And the benefits of quitting smoking has now come to people’s attention and they’ve learned what tobacco does to them, all of those things have come out thanks to our Clean Indoor Air Act in Montana,” said Parmalee.
The Tobacco Prevention Program will have another awareness campaign around New Years.