On the occasion of the Week for a Tobacco-Free Quebec which began on Sunday, the Quebec Council on Tobacco and Health (CQTS) wished to recall that smoking remains a major public health issue in Quebec, killing no less than 13 000 people every year.
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“Although COVID-19 is an issue of primary importance, we must not lose sight of the fact that, on average, more people die every day from smoking than from COVID-19 in the world,” recalled the CQTS. Sunday in a press release.
“Smoking is still too prevalent in Quebec and continues to wreak havoc,” said Annie Papageorgiou, Executive Director of the CQTS. »
According to the CQTS, nearly one out of eight Quebecers is a smoker and 400,000 people are living with a serious illness related to smoking. On average, 13,000 people die each year because of tobacco, which is equivalent to more than 35 deaths per day.
Smokers are more at risk of being hospitalized if they are infected with COVID-19 than non-smokers, and more at risk of dying from it. However, during the pandemic, nearly one in two smokers aged 18 to 24 increased their tobacco consumption.
Cancers are often the figurehead of the consequences of smoking, but a large number of smokers and non-smokers suffer from various very serious health problems such as: strokes; loss of sight; aneurysms; diabetes; erectile dysfunction; infertility.
Smokers are also 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers.
The Week for a Tobacco-Free Quebec aims this year to give a voice to the victims of tobacco use and wishes to demonstrate the devastating effects of tobacco on the health of smokers and on the lives of their loved ones.
“Let’s take advantage of the Week for a Tobacco-Free Quebec to discuss smoking with our loved ones, help smokers around us to quit or even educate young people regarding the importance of not starting to smoke. It can make all the difference! proclaimed actor, writer and ultramarathoner Patrice Godin, spokesperson for the Week for a Tobacco-Free Quebec for the third year.
- The CQTS invites people who wish to quit smoking to consult the J’ARRÊTE services, which offer confidential and free help online via jarrete.qc.ca, or by phone: 1 866 JARRETE ,1 866 527-7383. In-person help at quit smoking centers in Quebec or help by text message are also available.
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