Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster has signed a proclamation declaring “Tennessee Quit Smoking Week.”

It is as follows:

WHEREAS, the United States Surgeon General has stated that smoking remains the single most preventable cause of premature death in our society; and

WHEREAS, cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke account for 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, including the deaths of 11,400 Tennesseans; an

WHEREAS, 125,000 Tennesseans under age 18 who are alive today will ultimately die from smoking unless smoking rates decline; and

WHEREAS, productivity losses caused by smoking each year equal $3.6 billion in Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases; and

WHEREAS, Tennessee Quit Week is a campaign to promote the importance of and resources for quitting smoking in Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, dedicating a week to promote smoking cessation will encourage tobacco users to call the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine and make a quit plan,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Allen Foster, Mayor of Cumberland County, do hereby proclaim the week of February 21 – 26, 2021 as Tennessee Quit Smoking Week in Cumberland County, and encourage all citizens interested in quitting to reach out to the help and resources available, and remember, it is never too late to quit!

Pictured Left to Right: Holly Kisly (Cumberland Prevention Coalition), Mayor Foster, and Marsha Polson