Preventing 3 million premature deaths and helping 5 million smokers quit: a national action plan for tobacco cessation

Am J Public Health. 2004 Feb;94(2):205-10. doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.2.205.

Abstract

In August 2002, the Subcommittee on Cessation of the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health (ICSH) was charged with developing recommendations to substantially increase rates of tobacco cessation in the United States. The subcommittee's report, A National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation, outlines 10 recommendations for reducing premature morbidity and mortality by helping millions of Americans stop using tobacco. The plan includes both evidence-based, population-wide strategies designed to promote cessation (e.g., a national quitline network) and a Smokers' Health Fund to finance the programs (through a 2 US dollar per pack excise tax increase). The subcommittee report was presented to the ICSH (February 11, 2003), which unanimously endorsed sending it to Secretary Thompson for his consideration. In this article, we summarize the national action plan.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Cause of Death
  • Cost of Illness
  • Federal Government
  • Health Planning Guidelines*
  • Health Policy*
  • Humans
  • Private Sector
  • Public Health Practice / standards*
  • Public Sector
  • Smoking / adverse effects
  • Smoking / economics
  • Smoking Cessation* / economics
  • Smoking Prevention*
  • Social Marketing
  • Taxes / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Tobacco Industry / legislation & jurisprudence
  • United States