During the American Cancer Society's day-long "Great American Smokeout," 1,200 Americans, including 16 Oklahomans, will die due to tobacco-related illnesses.

The Great American Smokeout, scheduled today, is an annual event in the United States that encourages individuals to quit tobacco for good. This event urges individuals to quit tobacco for 24 hours, in the hopes that it will last forever. Another of the day's goals is to protect smokers' loved ones from second hand smoke exposure by not allowing smoking in the home.

In Norman and Moore, there are several events taking place to celebrate the Great American Smokeout.

In 2005, Norman Regional Health System adopted a tobacco-free campus. To mark this day, there will be two booths, one located at Norman Regional, Porter Campus and the other at the Moore Medical Center, which will hand out quit-kits and educational information to patients, visitors, and employees.

To show support for the Great American Smokeout, the Cleveland County Health Department, both in Norman and Moore, will have a table display from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. today for information and literature on the hazards of smoking, tobacco quit kits, the steps to smoking cessation, and other resources. Coffee and bagels will be served to individuals who come to the booth.

The Health For Friends Clinic will host "Smoke Free Homes -- Make It Happen" throughout the day for their clientele. They will hand out bagels and coffee as well as information on quitting tobacco and secondhand smoke exposure.

Tobacco kills more Americans each year than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, car accidents, homicide, suicide, fires and AIDS combined. Eigthy to 90 percent of tobacco users started using tobacco products before the age of 18. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth and Tobacco Use current estimates, each day about 1,140 people younger than 18 years of age become regular smokers and approximately 4,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 initiate cigarette smoking.

More information on cessation resources is available from Candida Manion, Norman Regional coordinator of community programs, at 307-6626.