Launch of the Week for a Quebec tobacco-free

QMI agency

Sunday, 21 January 2018 09:06

UPDATE
Sunday, 21 January 2018 12:43

Look at this article

MONTREAL | hundreds of Quebecers died from cancer of the throat or mouth in the past year because of smoking, stressed the quebec Council on tobacco and health (CQTS) at the time of launch the Week to a Quebec tobacco-free, Sunday.

While 1.3 million Quebecers are always the followers of the tobacco products, the CQTS has reminded that smoking is the cause of many cancers.

“Smokers are up to ten times more at risk of getting cancer of the mouth and four times more at risk of having a heart disease than non-smokers, while 85 % of lung cancers and 60 % of the deaths related to cancer of the throat are due to smoking,” said the organization in a press release.

Last year, 1070 Quebec received a diagnosis of cancer of the mouth and 300 people have died of the disease. Moreover, only 17 % of people with lung cancer, which affects approximately 28, 600 Canadians per year, according to the canadian cancer Society, survive more than five years after diagnosis.

“Too many of the people I love have died from cancer caused by tobacco products in the last ten years,” summed up the actress Geneviève Brouillette, spokesperson of the Week for a Quebec tobacco-free, inviting smokers to attempt to overcome their addiction.

1.3 million smokers

Quebecers are less and less interested in the tobacco, show the data of the national Institute of public health. In 2013, 17 % of men and 14 % of women smoked, compared with 22 % and 20 % respectively in 2003.

The Québécois are relatively a little more likely than Canadians to smoke, while 16 % of men and 12 % of women were users of tobacco in 2013.

Various free services are offered to smokers who seek smoking for good, including the phone line 1 866 JARRETE (1 866 527-7383), the quit smoking centres and the site jarrete.qc.ca.

Smokers are also invited to register for the Challenge I stop, I win (defitabac.ca). By registering, participants commit to not smoke for six weeks, from 5 February to 18 march.