Leading health groups joined Senator Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) today in calling for increased efforts in health care reform to help California’s smokers quit smoking and stay quit.

“Smoking is a dangerous addiction, not a habit. It requires treatment and support,” said Torlakson. “By guaranteeing smoking cessation services for those who want and need it, we will prevent disease and save lives and precious Californian tax dollars.”

Experts agree that smoking is a chronic, relapsing condition in which behavioral, psychological, and physical factors make overcoming the addiction extremely difficult. Fewer than seven percent of smokers who try to quit remain smoke-free for one year after quitting.

Recent research by the Institute of Medicine has revealed that tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicides, suicides, car accidents and fires combined.

The Senator was joined by Alecia Sanchez of the American Cancer Society. “Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in California. In fact, one in three cancer deaths is attributable to tobacco. We know that evidence-based cessation treatment is effective in helping people quit smoking and reducing the related health risks. Expanding smoking cessation benefits are a very important piece of our approach to reducing tobacco related cancers.”

“Tobacco places a tremendous strain on the state’s health care system, impeding our ability to address important diseases such as heart disease and stroke,” said forum participant, Dr. John Maa, Member, Board of Directors of the American Heart Association in San Francisco.

The forum was also attended by Lupe Alonzo Diaz, Executive Director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, who discussed disproportionate health effects of tobacco use on ethnic communities. “Unfortunately, lung cancer – as the single most preventable cause of disease – continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths among Latinos, particularly for Latino males. With a population larger than the states of Michigan or Virginia, Latinos are expected to become the majority of the state’s population by 2040. We must do more in prevention as well as cessation to eliminate these unnecessary deaths.”

Roxanna Bautista, a Program Director at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum addressed the lack of funding for prevention and cessation programs. “Several of California’s tobacco prevention programs funding ended recently due to restructuring at the state level. While California has done an amazing job of reducing the general smoking rate to 13.3%, there are still high smoking prevalence rates for specific ethnic groups, such as 31.5% Vietnamese males and 32.23% Pacific Islander males. Culturally specific tobacco use prevention services and cessation programs are critical to reduce smoking prevalence in our communities.”

Denise Adams-Simms, the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network stated: “African Americans experience higher incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infant death, all of which are smoking related diseases. Clearly more needs to be done to target underserved communities- the very people who are more likely to smoke in the first place.”

The moderator of the forum, Ayanna L. Kiburi, MPH, director of the National African American Tobacco Education Network (NAATEN), stated, “Ironically while African Americans are at the highest risk of tobacco-related mortality, they are, as a population, less aware of the benefits of quitting and the resources available to help them quit. A minimum benefit is essential to raising awareness and saving lives.”

“Tragically, most smokers today were addicted to tobacco while they were still children, which is why it is critical to ensure that the state does all it can to prevent smoking in the first place,” said Kiburi.

Paul Knepprath, Vice President of American Lung Association of California discussed prevention and cessation efforts stating, “The Governor and Legislature have a historic opportunity to help the four million people in our state who still smoke.”

Debra Chaplan, Director of Special Programs, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California stated: “Construction and building trades workers are exposed to all kinds of hazards on the job, and these are all made even more dangerous when combined with tobacco. Research shows that if workers have insurance coverage of smoking cessation benefits they are more likely to quit and stay quit.”