Great American Smokeout Set for November 19, 2026: Smokers Urged to Pick a Quit Day
The Great American Smokeout, the annual public health campaign organized by the American Cancer Society, will be held on Thursday, November 19, 2026, the third Thursday of November. The event challenges smokers across the United States to make a plan to quit, or to quit for that one day as a first step, and health agencies nationwide promote cessation resources alongside it.
The Smokeout began in 1976, when the California Division of the American Cancer Society persuaded nearly one million smokers to give up cigarettes for a day on November 18; the campaign went nationwide in 1977 and, over nearly five decades, has helped drive community programs and smoke-free laws. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking and secondhand smoke cause more than 480,000 deaths in the United States each year, about one in five of all deaths, making it the nation's leading preventable cause of death.
The American Cancer Society's timeline of quitting benefits shows the body begins recovering quickly: 20 minutes after quitting, heart rate and blood pressure drop; at 12 hours, carbon monoxide in the blood returns to normal; within two weeks to three months, circulation improves and lung function increases; at one to nine months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease; at one year, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half; at five years, the risks of mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder cancers are cut in half, and stroke risk can fall to a non-smoker's within two to five years; at ten years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a continuing smoker.
Smokers who want help can call the national quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free coaching, or ask a doctor about FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapies and medications. The CDC and FDA note that e-cigarettes are not approved as quit-smoking products. Experts add that most people who quit for good needed several attempts, so a setback does not mean the next try will fail.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：世界卫生组织园区内的无烟区标识（Wikimedia Commons，Guilhem Vellut 摄，CC BY 2.0） / Photo: A smoke-free zone sign at the World Health Organization campus (Wikimedia Commons, by Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0)
