Smokers to get mobile support

Monday, March 31, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Each year, 16 million cigarette smokers try to quit, but only about 1.3 million -- 8 percent -- succeed, according to the American Cancer Society.

Nevadans post some of the highest percentages of smokers anywhere, the organization says.

Those who want help kicking the habit can visit the NicoVan national tour stop in Las Vegas Friday and Saturday at a site to be announced.

The 20-city tour, which began in February in San Francisco and will conclude in St. Louis in late August, is sponsored by the American Cancer Society and SmithKline Beecham Consumer Health Care, makers of Nicorette nicotine gum and NicoDerm CQ, a nicotine patch.

"Smokers can improve their chances of successfully quitting if they develop a quitting strategy that is based on their individual needs and smoking habits," Mandy Canales-Salazar, program director for the American Cancer Society in Las Vegas, said in a news release.

"Counseling is an important initial step to mapping out a plan that will work for the individual. That's why we support SmithKline Beecham's efforts to reach out to smokers who are thinking about quitting."

The 34-foot, 8 1/2-ton NicoVan will be staffed with local pharmacists and representatives of the American Cancer Society who will offer tips for smokers who want to quit and provide what they call "coping kits" to help people live a smoke-free life.

Statistics indicate that 26.3 percent of Nevadans smoke, up 3.9 percent from the national average.

Of those Nevada smokers, 88 percent say they smoke every day and 45.1 percent say they have quit smoking for at least one day. The national averages are 87.2 percent who smoke every day and 43.6 percent who have tried to quit, the cancer society says.

By comparison, neighboring California has 15.5 percent smokers: 81.3 percent who smoke every day and 52.3 percent who have tried quitting for at least one day.

The majority who try to quit do it "cold turkey," according to SmithKline Beecham, which promotes nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, as an aid.

As part of its promotion campaign, the company notes that "the cost of NRT is similar to the average costs of cigarettes for a 1 1/2-pack-per-day smoker."

Other NicoVan stops this year include Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, the Washington D.C./Baltimore area, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.