Tobacco Free Florida

In November 2006, Floridians passed a constitutional amendment - Article X, Section 27, Florida State Constitution.  Each year, the Florida legislature is required to fund a statewide comprehensive tobacco education and use prevention program.  Tobacco Free Florida receives an amount equal to fifteen percent of the funds paid to Florida in 2005 under the Tobacco Settlement or about $62 million.  Florida now has over 500,000 fewer adult smokers than in 2007.  That is more people than currently live in Volusia County. 

Each year Florida's health care costs directly caused by smoking are $6.32 billion and the portion paid by the state Medicaid Program is $1.2 billion.  From 2007 to 2009, the smoking rate for adults decreased by 18.6 percent, falling to 17.1 percent.  This is well below the national average of 20.6 percent; resulting in a total estimated savings of as much as $4.2 billion in personal health care expenditures. 

Tobacco Free Florida offers a number of free and convenient resources to help tobacco users quit.  The Florida Quitline and WebCoach are available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

Online: Enroll in Web Coach®, which will help you create your own web-based quit plan that's right for you, visit http://floridaquitline.com.  Motivational and educational e-mails will be sent to you throughout the program.  A valid e-mail address is required.

Phone: Call the Florida quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1.877.822.6669) to speak with a Quit Coach who will help you assess your addiction and help you create a personalized quit plan.  Additional tailored phone calls with a Quit Coach, timed throughout the quitting process, also are included.  Unlimited toll-free access to Quit Coaches is available, as needed.

In-person:  Visit the Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network's website, ahectobacco.com, to locate your local AHEC and sign up for Quit Smoking Now group classes.

To get started visit http://floridaquitline.com or call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1.877.822.6669).