Great American Smokeout 2026 is on Thursday

About Great American Smokeout

The American Cancer Society runs the Smokeout every November. The idea is simple: quitting for a single day is a manageable first step, and it can become the starting point for a longer quit attempt with support from a doctor, a quitline or a counseling program. Schools, workplaces, clinics and local governments join in with quitting information, events and challenges.

The day grew out of local efforts in the 1970s. According to the American Cancer Society, Arthur P. Mullaney of Randolph, Massachusetts, asked people in 1970 to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they saved to a high school scholarship fund. In 1974, Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times, started a "Don't Smoke Day" in Minnesota. On November 18, 1976, the Society's California Division held what it counts as the first official Smokeout and reported that nearly 1 million people who smoked quit for the day. The Society took the event nationwide in 1977.

The Society credits the campaign's early years with helping build public support for later changes, including smoke-free workplace and restaurant rules, higher cigarette taxes and limits on tobacco marketing in the late 1980s and 1990s. In the US, anyone who wants help can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a free line that connects callers to their state's quitline counselors.

Sources: American Cancer Society: Great American Smokeout, American Cancer Society: History of the Great American Smokeout, Smokefree.gov (National Cancer Institute): Speak to an expert. How we check dates.

How to mark Great American Smokeout

• If you smoke, pick this Thursday as a quit day, or use it to set a firm quit date in the next few weeks.
• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to talk with a trained quitline counselor for free.
• Ask a doctor or pharmacist about proven quit aids, such as nicotine replacement or prescription medicine.
• Clear cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays out of your home and car, and plan what you'll do when cravings hit.
• If someone you know is quitting, offer encouragement, a walk or a phone call instead of judgment.

Great American Smokeout dates