The 29th Great American Smokeout came and went Thursday with few packs of cigarettes set aside in East Lansing during the national day of smoking abstinence.
During the annual event, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, smokers are asked to abstain from the act for a day.
Some businesses, especially restaurants, participate by going smoke-free for the day, said Lisa Prince, a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society Great Lakes Division.
The cancer society's hope is that smokers will consider quitting smoking for good and the day will raise awareness for smoke-free laws, she said.
"It's just for one day," Prince said. "Once they see they can do it for one day, they may not think it's a big deal to quit for good."
But there were very few, if any, events for the Smokeout at MSU this year.
Health Center educator Rebecca Allen said she didn't know why the community didn't participate, but said educators at Olin Health Center are focusing on longer-term ways to help students quit smoking.
Recently, Olin Health Center employees have been working to get an online resource, QuitNet, for students to quit smoking, up and running.
"There are so many different ways to do this work," Allen said. "Right now, because we have a tangible service, our focus is to let them know it's there and it's free of charge. We want to support whatever choice they have made to quit tobacco."
The first step toward quitting smoking is to consider using multiple approaches for quitting, including nicotine replacement and counseling, Allen said. Another important thing is to get the support of friends and family members.
But taking a day out to focus on quitting is important, Prince said.
"Having a day like this is making people take responsibility for their health," Prince said.
Smoking is one of the most preventable causes of cancer and causes 87 percent of all lung cancer deaths nationwide every year, Prince said. In Michigan, 5,790 people died from lung cancer last year, and it is estimated that 3,000 nonsmokers nationwide die every year from secondhand smoke.
The first time someone starts to quit, many times they are not successful, Allen said, adding that every time they try, they are closer to be being able to quit smoking for good.
"Never quit quitting," she said. "Each time a person quits, they learn something new about quitting, and if they do fail, they learned something on why they failed to do it."
The event could be effective if it is advertised better than it was this year, said premedical freshman Julia Kartush.
"If people started smoking to be like everyone else, and if everyone else is quitting on this day, then I think it is a good idea," she said. "But it takes a lot of time to quit, so I'm not sure how helpful it really is."
