ANNAPOLIS — Currently, 20.4 percent of adults in West Virginia use at least one tobacco or nicotine product.

Among those products are cigarettes, e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches.

Nicotine is extremely additive.

Officials at the American Lung Association anounced they are offering free resources and support to help those people who want to quit tobacco and stop using nicotine products for good.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in West Virginia, killing 4,280 people each year.

While it’s best to quit as early as possible, quitting tobacco and nicotine products at any age will enhance the length and quality of life, officials commented.

“In our state, 20.4 percent of adults smoke and 28.5 percent of high school students use a tobacco product,” stated Elizabeth Hensil, director of advocacy with the American Lung Association in West Virginia.

“We know that breaking the addiction to nicotine is extremely difficult,” she continued. “For most people, it takes multiple attempts to quit tobacco for good. Each quit attempt brings a person closer to reaching their goal.”

“It is critical that people who are ready speak with their healthcare provider about FDA-approved tobacco treatment medications, coupling them with proven effective cessation programs to quit,” Hensil concluded.

A free lung helpline to assist in getting started on the journey to quit is begin offered by the American Lung Assocaition, as well an opportunity to connect with a licensed registered nurse, a respiratory therapist or a certified tobacco treatment specialist.

For information about quitting tobacco, visit the website Lung.org or call (800) 586-4872, and select option No. 2.

Most health insurance covers medications and counseling to help quit.

Those who do not have insurance can visit healthcare.gov to see if you are eligible. Open enrollment runs through Jan. 15, officials noted.