HLS 15RS-4504 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 182
BY REPRESENTATIVE ARNOLD
HEALTH/SMOKING: Proclaims the first week in November as Krewe de Quit Week in
an effort to promote smoking cessation in Louisiana
1 A RESOLUTION
2To proclaim the first week in November as Krewe de Quit Week in an effort to promote
3 smoking cessation in Louisiana.
4 WHEREAS, tobacco use is the most preventable cause of disease, disability, and
5death in the United States, yet over one quarter of adults in Louisiana smoke; and
6 WHEREAS, in Louisiana, an estimated seven thousand two hundred adults die
7annually of diseases caused by their own smoking, and approximately one thousand children
8and adults die each year as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke; and
9 WHEREAS, the economic burden of smoking in the United States is immense, as
10the total economic costs related to smoking in this country exceed three hundred billion
11dollars annually, including one hundred seventy billion dollars spent annually on direct
12medical care for adults with smoking-related illnesses; and
13 WHEREAS, nearly seven in ten adult smokers would like to quit smoking, and over
14fifty-six percent of Louisiana smokers have made a quit attempt within the past year; and
15 WHEREAS, smokers desiring to quit should have access to approved therapies such
16as counseling, nicotine replacement therapy, and pharmaceutical interventions, as well as
17multiple channels for outreach and support; and
18 WHEREAS, Louisiana residents may be unaware of the smoking cessation
19treatments and services available to them to help them quit, or lack the support they need in
20order to successfully quit; and
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HR NO. 182
1 WHEREAS, smoking cessation treatment options are available to eligible Louisiana
2residents through the Smoking Cessation Trust, which provides cessation medications,
3counseling, telephone quit-line support, and intensive cessation support services at no cost
4to participants; and
5 WHEREAS, Krewe de Quit is a Louisiana smoking cessation campaign that
6introduces smokers and their supporters to Louisiana's smoking cessation resources and
7gives healthcare providers valuable smoking cessation tools; and
8 WHEREAS, by joining the Krewe, Louisiana smokers can build support among
9family members and friends who can keep them inspired and motivated during their efforts
10to quit, as well as find tools to help them to plan their quitting and to register for the free
11services of the Smoking Cessation Trust; and
12 WHEREAS, by providing smokers with the support needed to help them quit, Krewe
13de Quit aims to reduce the rate of smoking among adults in Louisiana to twenty-one percent
14by 2017; and
15 WHEREAS, efforts to promote smoking cessation are vital to protecting public
16health and promoting wellness in our beloved state.
17 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
18Legislature of Louisiana does hereby proclaim the first week in November as Krewe de Quit
19Week in an effort to promote smoking cessation in Louisiana.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature
21of Louisiana does hereby encourage Louisianians who have a desire to beat an addiction to
22cigarettes to visit www.SmokeFreeLA.org to learn how the trust can help them in their
23efforts to live smoke-free.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
25to the chairperson of the board and the executive director of the Smoking Cessation Trust.
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HR NO. 182
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 182 Original 2015 Regular Session Arnold
Proclaims the first week in November as Krewe de Quit Week in an effort to promote
smoking cessation in Louisiana.
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