Phoenix ready to kick butts in new anti-smoking campaign
Apr 16, 2015, 4:03 PM | Updated: 4:03 pm
PHOENIX — The city of Phoenix is ready to kick butts in the spirit of its new anti-smoking campaign.
Mayor Greg Stanton said the city is incentivizing smokers to quit.
“You’re going to be entered into a drawing to win tickets to either Arizona Diamondbacks games, Phoenix Mercury games, or Wet n’ Wild and other fun activities,” he said.
The city is joining with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services to get people call the Arizona Smoker’s Help Line to drop the habit.
Stanton said the ASH Line provides tools to help people quit smoking.
“The tools include nicotine-replacement therapy and one-on-one coaching,” he said. “Calling the ASH Line is free to anyone who wants help to quit smoking.”
Dr. Bob England, director of MCDHP, said that the ASH Line is an effective tool.
“The success rate for quitting by using the ASH Line in combination with adjunct therapies is nearly 50 percent,” he said. “That doesn’t sound great, but trying to quit cold turkey is more like 3 percent.”
The ASH Line number is 800-556-6222.