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PRINTER'S NO. 3996
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
912
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY HILL-EVANS, KULIK, SONNEY, KORTZ, MERSKI, MURT,
ZABEL, WEBSTER, KINSEY, GALLOWAY, SCHWEYER, BURNS, LONGIETTI,
HOWARD, NEILSON, READSHAW, YOUNGBLOOD, WARREN, SANCHEZ,
HENNESSEY, JAMES, FREEMAN, BROOKS, ULLMAN, SCHLEGEL CULVER
AND ROZZI, JUNE 23, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JUNE 23, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing November 19, 2020, as "The Great American Smokeout
Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke and the
marketing of tobacco products were commonplace in the 1970s when
annual Great American Smokeout events were first observed; and
WHEREAS, The tobacco industry in the United States spent more
than $25 million per day in 2017 in advertising for tobacco
products; and
WHEREAS, Today, more than 34 million people in the United
States smoke cigarettes of which 75% smoke every day; and
WHEREAS, Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable
cause of disease and premature death in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Cigarette smoking is believed to cause approximately
1 in 5 deaths in the United States each year; and
WHEREAS, Exposure to secondhand smoke alone causes an
estimated 41,000 deaths per year among adults in the United
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States; and
WHEREAS, Including secondhand smoke, cigarette smoking causes
more than 480,000 deaths annually; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey,
nearly 4.9 million middle and high school students used tobacco
in 2018; and
WHEREAS, E-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco
product among youths for the last four years; and
WHEREAS, Smoking-related illnesses in the United States cost
$170 billion per year in direct medical care for adults and $156
billion per year in lost productivity; and
WHEREAS, Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cancers of
the mouth and throat, lung, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, kidney,
bladder, stomach, colon, rectum and liver, as well as acute
myeloid leukemia; and
WHEREAS, Smoking greatly increases the risk of debilitating,
long-term lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic
bronchitis; and
WHEREAS, Smoking also causes heart attack, stroke and
diabetes; and
WHEREAS, Half of all smokers who keep smoking eventually die
from a smoking-related health condition; and
WHEREAS, A smoker's heart rate and blood pressure drop just
20 minutes after quitting smoking; and
WHEREAS, One year after quitting smoking, the excess risk of
coronary heart disease is half that of someone who still smokes,
and the risk of heart attack drops dramatically; and
WHEREAS, Fifteen years after quitting smoking, a smoker's
risk of coronary heart disease is equivalent to the risk for a
nonsmoker; and
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WHEREAS, No matter how old a smoker is or how long the
individual has been a smoker, quitting can help that individual
live a longer, healthier life; and
WHEREAS, Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the Great
American Smokeout is held each year on the third Thursday of
November to create awareness of addiction and tobacco-related
diseases and deaths while promoting further regulation of
tobacco products and helping smokers quit; and
WHEREAS, Research has shown that smokers have greater success
quitting smoking when they have appropriate support; and
WHEREAS, Smoking cessation is more readily attained when
smokers use two or more of these recommended measures: support
groups, online groups, counseling, nicotine replacement,
prescription medicine, guide books and encouragement from
friends and family members; and
WHEREAS, The House of Representatives, noting the dangers of
tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, is committed to
the prevention and cessation of smoking and other tobacco use;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize
November 19, 2020, as "The Great American Smokeout Day" in
Pennsylvania.
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