Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
1-800-QUIT-NOW
By Mary Lazich
Monday, Jul 21 2008, 10:28 AM
Since 2001, more than 80,000 people have called 1-800-QUIT-NOW, the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. The assistance they have received has helped reduce their risk of premature death and has saved the state millions of dollars in health care-related costs.
Services at the Tobacco Quit Line expanded on January 1, 2008. Dr. Michael Fiore, Director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention has informed me that the hotline continues to be successful with more people taking advantage of its lifesaving services than ever before. Dr. Fiore writes:
“In the first six months of this expansion (1/1/08 - 7/1/08), more than 21,000 state residents contacted the Quit Line. It provides confidential, personalized and free coaching and medication for those who want to break their tobacco dependence. It also helps smokers locate quitting resources and programs in their own communities.
2008 Quit Line service rates shatter all previous records. In a typical year, the Wisconsin quit line helps about 9,000 state residents. By and large, this unprecedented interest is a response to the increased cigarette state excise tax, which went into effect on Jan. 1 combined with the expanded Quit Line services. Here is a more detailed breakdown of Quit Line callers:
● 90 percent are tobacco users. The remaining 10 percent are healthcare providers, and people concerned about friends and family.
● 90 percent have requested further assistance from the Quit Line, including science-based coaching to help them quit. More than 12,300 two-week starter kits of nicotine medications have been mailed out.
● Among those who requested these starter kits, 62 percent chose to receive stop-smoking nicotine patches. The remaining 38 percent chose either nicotine gum or lozenges.
● 40 percent have identified themselves as Medicaid enrollees or uninsured.
The Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line is funded by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and administered by the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. It was established in 2001.
Wisconsin Researchers Lead National Effort to Establish New Federal Guidelines on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence
As the chair of a federal panel convened by the U.S. Public Health Service, I was proud to participate in a May event to release an updated guideline of care for clinicians and healthcare systems to address tobacco dependence and treatment. The event culminated two year’s worth of work that examined more than 8,700 scientific studies. It was hosted by the American Medical Association and featured Dr. C. Everett Koop as a speaker. More than 58 national and international organizations have endorsed the guideline, representing more than 1.2 million clinicians.
The guideline recommends a combination of coaching, counseling and medication to more successfully treat what is a chronic disease - tobacco dependence. We are now working with state and national partners to ensure that every Wisconsin smoker visiting a healthcare setting receives evidence-based assistance in quitting.
Wisconsin Researchers Break the “Kid-Smoking” Genetic Code
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI), along with colleagues at the University of Utah published findings that pinpoint the genetic risk of nicotine dependence in children. That risk is mitigated if children don’t smoke on a daily basis prior to age 17. If they do smoke daily prior to turning 17, their risk of addiction increases and it’s likely to be an even more severe addiction than for those who don’t have the genetic predisposition.
This groundbreaking finding is based on a study of 398 participants who came to UW-CTRI clinics in Milwaukee and Madison. Participants from Utah and an extensive national study rounded out the sample.
In Wisconsin, 19.9 percent of high school students and 5.8 percent of middle school students are tobacco users. This new genetic research emphasizes the importance of prevention programs, and specifically prevention programs aimed at youth who are genetically at risk for nicotine dependence.”
Here is the website for the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line, information on what to expect when you call, and testimonials from callers about their experience with the hotline
