Native Americans in Michigan can begin the journey to keep tobacco sacred and quit smoking commercial tobacco today by calling 1-855-5AI-QUIT (1-855-524-7848) or visit aiquitline.com for free culturally tailored quit coaching.  The American Indian Commercial Tobacco Program (AICTP) is a free resource dedicated to helping Native Americans in Michigan begin their journey to quit using commercial tobacco.

In Anishinaabe culture, traditional tobacco is a sacred medicine used for prayer, ceremony, and offered as a gift.

The AICTP offers up to 10 coaching calls per quit attempt with a dedicated Native American coach scheduled at a convenient time. If medically eligible, callers can sign up for 8 weeks of nicotine patches, gum and lozenges or combinations of these medicines to increase the chance of quitting commercial tobacco for good.  The program is open to men, women, pregnant women and youth on their journey to quit using commercial tobacco.  The program offers support to help with quitting cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes.

Commercial tobacco is a blend of nicotine and other chemicals used to create addiction and generate profit. It damages the health of our people.  Commercial tobacco includes cigarettes, chewing or smokeless tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars, and electronic cigarettes.

Smoking commercial cigarettes causes cancer and then blocks your body from fighting it.  Poisons in cigarette smoke can weaken the body’s immune system, making it harder to kill cancer cells and lowers the effect of cancer-fighting medicines.  When this happens, cancer cells keep growing without being stopped or new cancers can begin to grow.  Smoking is known to cause at least 12 different types of cancers throughout the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AICTP is available in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming.  Native Americans outside of these states can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to talk to a coach about quitting.

Quitting commercial tobacco today is the best thing you can do to lower your chances of getting cancer and lead a healthier life. For free, culturally tailored quit coaching, call 1-855-5AI-QUIT (1-855-524-7848) or visit aiquitline.com.

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