Tim McAfee, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President, Clinical and Behavioral Sciences:   As a family physician dedicated to helping people quit tobacco, I am deeply concerned about the 35% cut to state tobacco programs in the current Washington Senate budget bill. Last year, the state tobacco program was cut 43%, far deeper than most other programs. This year’s original proposal for a $1.00/pack tax increase devoted 20% of the tax revenue to the State Tobacco Prevention an... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Like many, I've been closely following the legal and moral debates over e-cigarettes. Out of my own curiosity and a yearning to understand each participant's experience, I wanted to know more from people who have actually used the e-cig. So, I conducted my own non-scientific poll about e-cigs. I know the findings are not scientific, the sample size was way too small, and definitely not random or unbiased (after all, the people I spo... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Every day we are presented with opportunities to make a difference in the lives of those who suffer.  Sometimes it is as simple as a smile and a kind word, but sometimes it is more. Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG and the Center for Tobacco Free Kids present us with an opportunity to make a real difference by asking the Obama Administration to send the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) to Congress for ratification. Tobacco ... [More]

Jason Kalivas, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   I don't actually have asthma. No doctor has ever looked at my lungs and noted any inflammation. I've never had what I could surely call an asthma attack. I don't have an inhaler. If I get smoke in my lungs, even from incense, I feel my throat close a little and I cough, but I don't really have asthma. Sometimes it's just easier to say that I do. Maybe it's cowardice. Maybe it's a cop-out. But it's so much easier than getting into... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   As you know, quitting smoking can be difficult. Smoking is a complex behavior, but the main reason quitting is so hard is that nicotine is highly addictive. And to make the nicotine as addictive as possible, the tobacco industry has intentionally engineered the cigarette to get as much nicotine to the brain as they can as quickly as they can. So you would think that I might be surprised to read in the Associated Press that the tobacco indust... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   Ron feels liberated. Matt is proud. Gregory can’t believe it. Jay loves it. Dustin is confident. James is free. We’ve come to the end of the road. Our tobacco cessation support group at the Gay City Health Project joins for one last classroom session on Tuesday 2/16. The guys sit around the table and announce how they have quit successfully. “I’ve smoked for 28 years,” Gregory shakes his head. He smirks impishly and a... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   “Eight dollars,” Matt admits. “Eight dollars!?” Dan yelps. The price has gone up since he smoked. This is what Matt paid for a pack of cigarettes. He had his last drag after our session last Tuesday, and a week later, Tuesday 2/9, he is still tobacco free. He looks fresh and sounds proud of himself. Lark, Dan and I facilitate the Out To Quit group’s sixth meeting together. The topic of discussion tonight? Rewards. ... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   Ask anyone who has quit an addiction, “If ever you relapse, what would be the one thing that could bring you back?” Stress will likely be the answer. Breakups, breakdowns, layoffs, lawsuits: when stress hits, the reflex kicks in, and you might think of smoking without consciously meaning to. Tuesday 2/2 marks our fifth session as the Out To Quit group. 6 returning gay men sit around the long table with Dan at the front. Dan... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   “It’s like a pause button,” Ergane says. “The emotions are still waiting for me when I’m done, but it gives me a break.” Smoking is Ergane’s excuse to walk away from the stress in his life. He admits to me and Dan as we facilitate this week’s Out To Quit session that cigarettes don’t actually relieve stress; they just provide a temporary escape. An escape that, lately, he has been using 20 times each day. The group is b... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Lung cancer remains the leading cause of death in men and women in the US, and over 90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking. Quitting smoking is the single best way to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer and those who quit sooner rather than later further reduce their risk of developing this devastating illness. A recent study printed in the British Medical Journal (Parsons, A. BMJ.com) gives smokers who develop lung cancer new ... [More]